THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  ILLINOIS 

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cop.  u. 


!lL!N^iS  HISTORICAL  SUHVtY 


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LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  \i[mn\S 


SERMONSiADDRESSES 


QUESTION  DRAWER, 


OTHER  PROCEEDINGS 


Christian  Convention 

Held  in  Chicago,  September  18th  to  20th,  1883. 


UlfDEB   THB   DIRECTION   OT 


D.  L.  MOODY. 


Verbatim  Rerorts  Carefully  Revised. 


CHICAGO: 
FAIRBANKS,  PALMER  &  CO. 

1884. 


COPYRIGHTED   BY 

FAIRBANKS,  PALMER  &  CO. 
1883. 


CHAS.    N.    TRIVESS,    PRINTER, 
CHICAGO. 


^30 


"USii-^ei 


O^- 


PREFACE 


Tl 


4 

ijo^  Among  all  those,  from  Paul  to  the  devout  of  our  own  day,  who 
can  truthfully  say :  "  I  determined  to  know  nothing  among  you 
save  Jesus  Christ  and  Him  crucified,"  few^  have  succeeded  so 
well  in  singleness  of  purpose  and  strength  of  faith  as  Mr. 
Moody.  Through  no  self-assertion  he  has  come  to  occupy  a 
prominence  which  would  gratify  the  most  high  vaulting  ambi- 
tion; but  no  man  could  be  freer  than  he  from  ambition,  as  a 
motive  power.  His  whole  heart  is  in  the  work  of  saving  souls. 
In  the  vineyard  of  the  Lord  there  are  other  labors  to  be  per- 
formed, apart  from  the  direct  work  of  personal  evangelization, 
but  it  must  be  conceded  that  he  has  "chosen  the  better  part," 
and  is  engaged  in  the  noblest  work  on  earth. 

However  large  his  audiences  and  frequent  his  discourses,  Mr. 

Moody  can  reach    only  a   very    few   people,    comparatively,    and 

out   of  his  zeal  for  the  conversion  of  sinners  has  flown  a  stream 

of  influence  upon  all  evangelical  churches  in  which   the    English 

language  is  spoken.      The  importance  of  this    stream  God    alone 

can    measure.      Tlianks    to    the    printing    press,    he    may  address 

-:::i  millions.      And    it   is  to  the  credit  of  the  Christian  ministry,  and 

>:  of  the  lay  piety  of  all  our  churches,  that  there  is  a  very  general 

' '  anxiety  to  feel  the  inspiration  of  his  magnetic  zeal,  and  to    emu- 

iii. 

I  03  I  87 1 


ly  PREFACE. 

late  his  spirit  and  methods,  so  far  as  practicable  and  possible. 
The  Pharasaical  spirit  which  sneeringly  asks:  "How  knoweth 
this  man  letters,  having  never  learned?"  is  not  manifested.  On 
the  contrary,  the  most  learned  of  our  ministry  delight  to  sit  at 
his  feet,  and  the  most  eloquent  gladly  take  lessons  from  him  in 
that  oratory  which  wins  souls  to  Christ.  The  phenomenal  favor 
with  which  Mr.  Moody  and  his  work  have  been  received  on 
both  sides  of  the  Atlantic  will  stand  in  the  history  of  Chris- 
tianity as  monumental  evidence  of  the  humble  piety  and  high 
devotion  of  the  period.  The  fact  that  this  book  has  now 
reached  the  twentieth  edition,  with  an  accelerated  demand,  is 
only  one  of  the  many  evidences  of  this  most  encouraging  state  of 
the  church. 

The  Christian  Convention,  which  met  in  Chicago,  September 
iS,  18S3,  remaining  in  session  three  days,  was  the  immediate  occa- 
sion of  this  latest,  but  not  last,  edition  of  Moody's  Sermons.  The 
material  furnished  by  those  proceedings  will  be  found  to  be  of 
the  very  deepest  interest  and  most  vital  importance,  including 
not  only  Mr.  Moody's  sermons,  and  less  formal,  but  not  less 
valuable  remarks,  but  also  the  addresses,  brief  and  pithy, 
often  sublimely  eloquent  and  always  appropriate,  of  other 
Christians  of  eminence  in  the  work  of  saving  souls.  The 
varied  experiences  of  many  workers  in  independent  vineyards, 
under  widely  diverse  circumstances,  brought  out  a  flood  of 
light  such  as  few  occasions  and  books  could  possibly  focalize. 
It  was  by  no  means  a  one-man  convention.  Mr.  Moody  was 
surrounded  and  assisted  by  pastors  and  lay  preachers  upon 
whose  labors  the  Master  has  impressed  the  signet  of  his 
approval  by  the  ingathering  of  souls  and  the  upbuilding  of 
His    church. 

The  publishers  are  indebted  for  the  report  of  these  meetings, 
to    the  journalistic    enterprise    of    '■'■TAe    Inter- Oceanr      It    was 


PREFACE. 


found  unnecessary  to  have  a  corps  of  our  own  reporters  present 
for  that  work,  as  it  was  being  done  to  meet  the  Immediate 
demands  of  the  newspaper  public.  The  benefit  of  this  econ- 
omy, in  the  cost  of  the  twentieth  edition,  is  given  entirely  to 
the  public,  as  the  edition  is  sold  for  the  same  price  as  the 
old    and    smaller   one. 

It  is  well  known  that  newspapers  aim  to  publish  what  their 
readers  want,  and  the  fact  that  a  great  daily  journal  in  the 
eminently  busy  city  of  Chicago,  should  devote  two  pages  a 
day  to  the  proceedings  of  the  Christian  Convention,  is  a  deeply 
significant  attestation  of  the  general  interest  taken  in  the 
proceedings.  Not  only  the  religious  element  of  the  city  took  a 
profound  interest  in  them,  but  thousands  of  ministers  and  laymen 
from  without,  came  to  Chicago  for  the  sole  purpose  of  attending 
the  meetings.  Could  they  have  been  held  in  the  Tabernacle, 
made  sacred  by  the  great  revival  meetings  of  a  few  years 
ago,  the  reports  of  which  are  given  in  this  volume,  it  would 
have  been  crowded  to  overflow.  But  that  temporary  structure 
long  since  disappeared,  and  Farwell  Hall,  with  its  hallowed 
associations,   afforded   the    best   attainable   accommodations. 

Those  who  did  not  enjoy  the  holy  luxury  of  attending 
the  meetings  and  those  who  did,  will  alike  find  the  report  of 
those  proceedings  most  suggestive  reading,  rich  in  seeds  of 
thought  and  incentives  to  religious  endeavor,  at  once  intensely 
spiritual   and   thoroughly   practical. 


CONTENTS 


Morning  Sermon,  Sept,  16,1883,  by  D.  L.  Moody        .        .  866 
Evening         "  "  "  "       «  "  .         .       875 

How  CAN  WE  BEST  SECURE  A  PREPARATION  FOR  ChRIST's 

Work,  Rev.  E.  P.  Goodwin,  D.    D.         •         •         .       890 

Same  subject  continued,  Major  D.  W.  Whittle    .         .         .  892 

"  "  "  H.  L.  A.  Stevenson.  .         .       893 

"  «  "  D.  L.  Moody  .         .         .         .893 

The  Great  Hindrances,  Rev.  J.  H.  Barrows,  D.  D.       .       895 

«         "  "  "        C.  L.  Goodell,  D.  D.  .  901 

"         "  "  "        D.  L.  Moody     .         .        .       902 

Question  Drawer,  conducted  by  D,  L.  Moody  .         .  905 

How  TO  Interest  the  Lay  Element  of  Our  Churches 

Rev.   C.  L.  Goodell,  D.  D 909 

How  Faith  Spreads,  Rev.  S.J.  McPherson     .         .         .       914 
Question  Drawer,  Conducted  by  D.  L.Moody  .         .  918 

How  TO  reach  Habitual  Non-Church  Goers,    Rev.    H. 

M.  Scudder,  D.  D. 923 

Same,  subject  continued.  Rev.  M.  M.  Parkhurst     .         .       929 
"  "  "  Rt.  Rev.  C.  E.  Cheney,  D.  D.        931 

What  Shall  be  done  to  Secure  a  More  General  At- 
tendance OF  the  People  upon  Worship,   Rev.  P. 

S.  Henson,  D.  D. 933 

Same  subject  continued,  J.  L.  Houghteling        .         .         .  937 
How  CAN  THE  Influence  of   Christian  Homes  be    In- 
creased, Rev.  Dr.  Ninde       ......  940 

Same  subject  continued,  Rev.  R.  M.  Hatfield  D.  D.         .       941 
i. 


CONTENTS. 


Devotional  Exercises,  Rev.  W.  M.  Lawrence,  D.  D.         .  944 
«  "  Charles  M.  Morton      .         .         '947 

Methods     of     Organization     for     Religious    Work, 

William  Reynolds        .......       948 

Question  Drawer,  Conducted  by  D.  L.  Moody         .         "95^ 

Sermon.     Text  in  Titus  2;  11--14,  D.  L.  Moody  •       955 

How  CAN  THE  Personal  and  Social  Study  of  the  Bible 

be  Increased,  Rev.  Herrick  Johnson,  D.  D.  .       969 

Same  subject  continued,  B,  F.  Jacobs         ....  974 

How  MAY  Our  Foreign  Population  be   Evangelized, 

Rev.  F.  E.  Emerich 975 

How  TO  Reach  the  Germans,  Rev.  L.  M.  Heilman         .       977 
"  "  "  "  Prof.  Samuel  Ives  Curtiss     .  980 

How  shall  We  Interest  Our  Children  in  the  Gospel, 

Rev.  E.  C.  Ray •         .  988 

How  may  Music  be  Best  Used  and  Controlled  in  Pro- 
moting Worship  and  Spreading  the  Gospel,  Ira 
D.  Sankey  993 

Same  SUBJECT  continued,  James  McGranahan       .         .         .  998 
"  "  "  D.  L.  Moody      ....     1005 

"  "  «  Rev.  P.  S.  Henson,  D.  D.      .         1006 

«  «  «  Rev.  Herrick  Johnson,  D.  D.     .      1007 

Closing  Addresses  on  "  Consecration  For  the  Work," 

Rev.  E.  P.  Goodwin,  D.  D 1008 

Same  subject  continued,  William  Reynolds,  Prof. 
Morehead,  Mr.  Lattimer,  Rev,  Dr.  Hatfield,  J.  S. 
Smithson,  Major  D.  W.  Whittle,  Bishop  Cheney, 
Rev.  Dr.  Henson,  and  others. 

Closing  Address  by  D.  L.  Moody loio 


CHEISTIAIST    OO^TYENTIOK. 

HELD    AT    FARWELL   HALL,    CHICAGO,    SEPTEMBER    l8,  I9   AND    20, 
1883.       PREFACED    BY  THE    TWO    SERMONS    PREACHED    BY 
MR.  MOODY  THE    SUNDAY  PREVIOUS.        PROCEED- 
INGS AND  SERMONS  REPORTED  IN  FULL. 


MORNING    SERVICE.       SEPT.   16,   1883. 

For  the  first  time  for  many  years,  D.  L.  Moody,  Chicago's  own 
great  evangelist,  appeared  on  a  pulpit  platform  in  that  city,  where 
he  grew  into  greatness.  The  mere  announcement  that  the  great 
evangelist  was  to  preach  at  the  Chicago  Avenue  Church  was  suffi- 
cient to  secure  the  filling  of  that  church  many  times  over.  Long 
before  the  doors  of  the  church  were  open,  dense  crowds  covered  the 
sidewalks  on  the  two  street  sides  of  the  church. 

After  the  opening  services  Mr.  Moody  made  a  few  remarks 
relative  to  that  particular  church,  before  entering  upon  the  theme  of 
the  occasion. 

Moody's  church. 
You  are  all  aware  that  this  is  a  free  church,  I  see  some  of  you 
putting  your  hands  in  your  pockets,  seeing  what  I  am  coming  at. 
A  good  many  of  my  friends  said  to  me  that  this  church  could  not 
succeed,  because  it  was  an  undenominational  church;  because  it  was 
not  a  Baptist,  or  a  Methodist,  or  a  Presbyterian  church;  that  no 
undenominational  church  could  live.  Well,  it  has  lived  now  for 
twenty  years,  and,  while  I  am  no  prophet,  I  think  it  will  live  twenty 
years  longer.  My  heart  has  been  wonderfully  cheered  that  I  have 
not  had  to  raise  any  money  this  time  to  pay  pastors'  bills.  Every- 
thing is  paid  up  to  the  present  time,  and  I  believe  the  true  Scrip- 
tural idea  of  a  church  is  that  every  one  should  give  as  he  is  prospered 
from  day  to  day  and  week  to  week.  We  don't  ask  you  to  give 
what  you  haven't  got,  but  w^e  want  you  to  give  this  morning  as  you 
have  been  blessed  in  worldly  store.  There  is  one  thing  that  should 
be  remedied  at  once — the  sidewalk  on  Chicago  avenue  in  front  of 
the  church.  I  almost  feared  the  crowd  this  morning  would  break  it 
down,  and  I  should  like  to  have  a  stone  side'walk  put  there  instead 
of  the  old  wooden  one.  We  need  $2,000  for  this,  and  that  is  not 
much  for  a  congregation  like  this  so  there  will  be  no  danger  of  the 
865 


866  CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION. 

sidewalk  breaking  in   and  the  people  getting  hurt.      So  we  will 
devote  to  that  purpose  the  collection  both  this  morning  and  evening. 
THE  MORNING  SERMON. 

I  have,  said  Mr.  Moody,  four  texts  this  morning.  One  is  a 
question,  another  is  an  exhortation,  another  is  a  command,  and  the 
last,  the  fourth,  is  a  promise. 

And,  first,  the  question:  It  is  the  first  words  that  fell  from  the 
lips  of  Christ  as  recorded  by  John.  Other  evangelists  record  other 
words,  but  these  are  the  first  recorded  by  John,  "What  seek  ye?" 
According  to  the  commentators,  John  wrote  the  Gospel  about  sixty 
years  after  Christ  was  gone,  the  last  New  Testament  book  written, 
and  he  was  so  impressed  with  the  interview  he  held  with  Christ 
that  it  figures  in  his  opening  sentence.  It  was  in  the  afternoon  on 
the  day  after  John  had  been  baptized.  On  seeing  the  Saviour  in 
the  presence  of  His  disciples,  John  cried  out,  "  Behold  the  Lamb  of 
God ! "  And  John  followed  Jesus,  and  Jesus  turned  to  John  and  his 
accompanying  disciples  and  said,  "What  seek  ye?" 

Now,  all  classes  sought  the  Lord  when  He  was  on  earth,  the 
rich  and  poor,  the  learned  and  the  unlearned ;  there  was  not  a  class 
to  stay  away;  the  priests  and  the  Levites,  the  Pharisees  and  the  Sad- 
ucees,  all  classes  sought  Him.  But  they  didn't  all  seek  Him  with 
the  same  motive,  and  therefore  they  didn't  all  get  blessed  alike. 

Some  sought  Him  that  they  might  see  a  sign.  They  wanted 
to  see  Him  perform  a  miracle  They  wanted  to  see  a  man  lame 
from  his  birth  jump  up  and  walk,  and  see  him  leaping  and  praising 
God.  That's  a  sight  they'd  like  to  see.  They  didn't  care  anything 
about  the  explanation.  They  only  wanted  the  excitement  of  the 
spectacle.  Some  were  a  little  skeptical  and  didn't  believe.  But  they 
didn't  come  there  to  believe;  they  didn't  want  to  believe.  And  so 
they  were  constantly  coming  to  see  a  sign.  And  one  day  He  turned 
Him  to  them  and  asked  them  the  question  of  the  text.  We  can 
imagine  that  these  men  spread  the  reports  of  what  they  saw  all  over 
Palestine. 

It  was  a  great  wonder,  indeed,  that  here  was  one  who  could 
make  bread  without  flour.  It  was  a  marvel,  truly,  that  He  could 
give  them  food  in  the  desert  without  any  preparation,  the  very  best 
bread  that  ever  they  had  eaten.  Fresh  from  the  hand  of  the  Cre- 
ator, of  course  it  was  good  bread.  They  didn't  care  about  anything 
else,  except  to  say  that  they  had  seen  and  tasted  it.  Just  so  nowa- 
days ;  some  men  rush  to  hear  somebody  preach  to  just  be  able  to  say 
that  they  have  heard  him.  They  don't  care  what  he  says,  but  they 
love  to  say,  "  Oh,  yes,  I  have  seen  him  and  heard  him."  And  so 
there  was  that  class  of  men  who  sought  Him. 

And  others  sought  Him  because  they  thought  He  was  going  to 
set  up  a  temporal  kingdom,  and  they  would  be  the  first  in  authority 


CHRISTIAN'    COXVENTIOX.  867 

under  Him — wanted  to  be  prime  ministers  and  secretaries  of  state, 
and  all  that,  monopolizing  all  the  fat  offices  of  the  land.  I  have  not 
any  doubt  that  such  was  the  motive  that  took  Judas  into  the  ranks  of 
the  Lord;  he  wanted  high  position,  the  fishes  and  loaves  of  worldly 
prominence  and  lordship.  The  same  class  existed  then  as  now,  and 
with  the  same  motive ;  they  followed  the  Lord  because  it  promised 
rewards  of  an  earthly  kind,  and  to  be  His  disciple  would  be  the 
fashion. 

Another  class  sought  Him  that  they  might  entangle  Him  in  His 
conversations,  that  they  might  accuse  him  before  the  law,  and  take 
Him  out  and  stone  Him  to  death.  They  wanted  to  get  something 
against  Him.  They  wanted  to  trap  Him  into  some  utterance  against 
Csesar.  They  had  nothing  but  murder  in  their  hearts.  Others 
sought  Him  because  the  crowd  went  that  way,  for  multitudes  were 
going  into  the  desert  to  see  the  signs  and  the  wonders  that  were 
wrought.  Many  went  because  others  w^ent,  and  if  tliey  answered 
truly  the  question,  "  What  seek  ye?"  they  would  have  answered, 
"  I  am  going  to  see  what  is  going  on."  Another  class  wanted  to 
hear  some  new  thing.  They  would  like  to  hear  this  new  doctrine. 
And  there  was  another  class  that  didn't  care.  They  were  ready  to 
take  in  anything  that  was  going  on. 

And  another  class — and  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  is  a  small  class — 
sought  Him  for  what  He  was.  And  let  me  say  right  here  that  no 
man  or  woman  was  ever  disappointed.  Christ  is  all,  and  more  than 
we  make  Him  to  be.  Men  grow  smaller  and  smaller,  but  don't 
grow  larger  and  larger.  No  man  ever  made  too  much  of  Christ 
Jesus.  Some  people  have  a  very  small  Savior,  and  are  continually 
venturing  into  sin.  Why  ?  Because  they  do  not  know  the  power 
of  that  Savior,  have  no  intimate  acquaintance  with  Christ,  don't 
know  much  about  Him.  But  when  he  is  the  great  and  mighty 
Savior,  and  recognized  in  the  soul  as  such,  then  a  man's  path  is  safe. 

And  now  let  me  look  into  this  audience  this  morning  and  let  me 
ask  the  question.  What  seek  ye?  and  answer  me  truly.  The  text  is 
not  changed.  It  is  the  same  to-day  as  when  Christ  uttered  it,  and 
is  man  changed?  Not  one  bit.  I  think  if  this  audience  could  be 
sifted  and  you  could  get  at  the  reasons  that  brought  people  together 
this  morning  you  would  find  much  similarity  to  the  old  reasons. 
Hundreds  of  men  and  women  came  here  this  morning  who  did  not 
come  to  learn.  It  is  the  hardest  thing  in  the  world  to  reach  such. 
I  believe  hundreds  and  thousands  of  people  go  to  church  Sabbath 
after  Sabbath,  and  go  away  without  one  thought  of  duty  upon  them, 
just  as  untouched  as  for  the  last  twenty  years.  They  did  not  come 
to  the  house  of  God  to  meet  God,  they  do  not  bring  their  souls  into 
contact  with  the  grace  of  Christ. 

Now  all  are  seeking  for  something,  and  let  the  question  come, 


868  CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION. 

What  seek  ye?  Come,  friends,  ask  the  question  of  yourselves. 
What  was  your  motive  in  coming  here  this  morning?  Did  some 
come  for  information?  "I  just  came,"  you  say,  "to  see  what  was 
going  on.  I  was  going  down  street  this  morning  and  saw  the  great 
crowd  and  thought  I  would  just  cone  in  and  hear  what  was  going 
on."  You  have  just  dropped  in.  Well,  glad  you  are  here,  and  if 
you  haven't  come  with  the  best  motive  I  hope  God  will  meet  you. 

Another,  perhaps,  has  come  in  order  to  please  his  mother.  "  She 
has  been  very  anxious,"  ^-ou  say,  "that  I  should  come  out  to  meet- 
ing, and  I  thought  it  would  please  her."  Well,  I  am  glad  you  have 
come,  even  if  you  didn't  come  with  a  better  motive  than  that. 

On  my  last  visit  to  London  I  was  preaching  in  Agricultural  Hall 
when  a  man  dropped  in  out  of  the  rain,  and  he  staid  till  he  found 
the  Savior.  Well,  I  was  reminded  of  Sir  Rowland  Hill,  who  said 
that  he  had  heard  of  people  making  a  cloak  out  of  religion,  but  this 
man  made  an  umbrella  out  of  it.  [Laughter.]  Another  time  a  man 
dropped  in  who  said  he  hadn't  been  in  a  church  before  for  years. 
This  was  in  Philadelphia  where  I  was  speaking  one  Tuesday  night. 
He  was  a  bricklayer,  a  great  strapping  six-footer,  a  hard-drinknig 
man,  and  very  profane.  Well,  somebody  had  told  him  it  was  a 
remarkable  sight  to  see  ii,ooo  empty  chairs  on  one  floor,  and  he 
thought  he  would  like  to  see  them.  Didn't  care  for  the  Gospel,  but 
wanted  to  see  the  empty  tabernacle  and  those  chairs.  Low  motive, 
wasn't  it?  So,  early  in  the  evening  he  came  up,  and  as  soon  as  the 
sexton  unlocked  the  door  he  popped  in  ahead  of  everybody,  and  ran 
up  the  aisle  to  see  the  empty  chairs  from  the  foreground.  He  said: 
"  What  do  so  many  fools  rush  in  here  for?"  But  he  stayed,  and  the 
divine  word  and  Holy  Spirit  began  to  tell  on  him,  and  he  has 
adorned  the  doctrine  of  God  his  Savior  ever  since.  That's  the  kind 
of  people  to  preach  to.  They  are  open  to  God's  truth.  I  would 
rather  preach  to  that  kind  than  those  who  become  hardened  under 
pulpit  ministrations.     Those  are  the  hardest  to  reach. 

If  you  have  heard  the  word  unmoved  and  disobedient,  I  don't 
think  there  is  much  chance  for  you.  God  in  His  mercy  may  save 
you,  but  there  is  not  much  hope  for  you.  However,  come  ahead ; 
even  if  like  that  bricklayer  you  haven't  come  with  the  best  of 
motives.  Our  God  is  a  great  God,  and  He  is  able  to  bless  every  one, 
and  he  knows  our  needs  better  than  any  one.  So  let  us  pray  God 
that  every  one  may  seek  His  face  and  find  Him  precious. 

The  next  text  tells  us  to  "  Seek  the  Lord  while  He  may  be 
found."  Now  notice  how  it  reads:  "  Seek  the  Lord  while  He  may  be 
found."  It  does  not  say  seek  happiness,  seek  peace,  seek  joy.  And 
yet  a  good  many  people  are  only  seeking  these;  seeking  peace, 
seeking  joy,  seeking  happiness.  I  cannot  see  any  place  in  the  Bible 
where  we  are  told  to  seek  for  peace,  for  happiness,  for  joy.     If  we 


CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION.  869 

seek  after  the  virtue,  we  will  have  all  those  things  following.  If  we 
have  the  spirit  we  will  have  the  fruit.  We  cannot  get  an  apple 
without  we  have  the  tree.  We  cannot  have  an  orange  without  w^e 
have  an  orange  tree.  Set  a  good  tree  and  you  will  have  good  fruit. 
Therefore,  what  is  wanted  is  to  seek  the  Lord  Himself.  If  we  get 
the  Lord  we  will  have  peace,  joy,  rest.  We  cannot  have  them 
without  Christ.  Christ  Himself  comes  with  them;  brings  them  to 
us.  He  is  the  author  and  bearer  of  them.  If  we  want  peace,  there- 
fore, and  joy  and  happiness,  and  rest,  we  must  seek  Him. 

Call  upon  him  while  he  is  near. 

I  remember,  when  I  was  a  boy,  a  little  fellow,  smaller  than  this 
boy  here,  I  would  try — you  may  think  I  was  a  foolish  fellow — I 
would  try  to  catch  my  shadow.  But  many  a  time  I  have  tried  to 
tread  on  my  shadow,  but  I  never  caught  my  shadow.  I  would  run 
after  it  a  good  many  times,  but  never  caught  up  with  it.  But  once, 
running  to\vard  the  sun,  I  saw  my  shadoAV  coming  after  me;  and 
one  of  the  sweetest  lessons  I  have  learned  in  the  school  of  righteous- 
ness is,  and  was,  that  the  fruit  comes  after  our  seeking  the  Lord. 
Make  the  tree  good,  and  the  fruit  will  be  good.  Seek  Him  and  w^e 
have  all  the  hope,  the  peace,  the  rest,  and  happiness  that  we  desire. 
Now,  dear  friends,  if  we  seek  these  things  instead  of  seeking  Christ, 
we  shall  be  disappointed. 

Do  you  think  the  Lord  can  be  found  in  this  house  before  twelve 
o'clock  ?  Can  a  man  who  has  been  living  in  sin  up  to  this  hour,  who 
has  never  sought  the  Lord  imtil  this  hour,  do  you  believe  that  such 
a  man  can  see  Him  within  this  house,  before  twelve  o'clock?  Yes! 
I  believe  it,  just  as  much  as  I  believe  in  anything.  If  there  is  any 
man  who  cannot  find  Him,  I  believe  it  is  because  he  does  nothing  to 
find  Him ;  and  the  reason  that  so  few  people  find  the  Lord  is  because 
they  do  not  seek  Him  in  their  heart.  They  cannot  find  Him  in  the 
head.  The  seeking  after  the  Lord  is  the  work  of  revelation,  and 
revelation  comes  to  the  heart  and  not  to  the  head  of  man.  When 
people  seek  God  from  the  heart  they  find  Him.  When  I  said  to 
another  man  that  I  could  tell  him  when  he  would  be  converted,  he 
answered:  "Mr.  Moody,  I  did  not  know  that  you  claimed  to  be  a 
prophet."  I  said  that  I  was  not  a  prophet,  nor  my  father  before  me. 
If  men  will  be  earnest  in  their  souls  they  need  not  go  out  of  the 
house  to  find  Him. 

His  salvation  is  within  the  reach  of  every  soul  here  if  he  will 
wake  up  as  the  man  did  on  the  day  of  Pentecost.  The  cry  was, 
"What  must  we  do?"  And  when  He  told  them,  they  went  and 
bowed  themselves  down.  And  if  you  are  wilhng  to  do  what  God 
wants  you  to  do,  and  seek  Him  with  all  your  heart,  you  will  find 
Him.  Once,  at  one  of  my  meetings,  a  man  was  leaning  upon  a  post 
with  both  his  hands  in  his  pockets.     "Are  you  a  Christian,  friend?" 


870  CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION. 

I  asked.  He  said,  "  No ! "  '*  Would  you  like  to  be  one  ? "  "I  have 
no  objection,"  he  replied.  Now,  I  don't  think  that  man  is  fit  to  be 
saved  with  that  kind  of  a  spirit,  and  I  do  not  believe  that  any  man 
will  ever  step  into  the  kingdom  of  God  in  that  condition  of  mind. 
If  people  were  as  anxious  about  their  eternal  welfare  as  they  are 
about  their  temporal  welfare,  there  would  be  no  trouble  to  men  and 
women  getting  into  the  kingdom  of  God  by  hundreds. 

People  are  so  earnestly  bent  on  their  temporal  affairs,  so  dili- 
gent and  self-sacrificing  in  piling  up  earthly  riches,  that  they  have 
softening  of  the  brain,  so  much  are  they  troubled  in  reference  to  that 
which  perisheth.  They  are  terribly  in  earnest  about  these  things 
which  are  earthly  and  which  perish.  Shall  we  not  be  ia  earnest  about 
the  things  eternal  ?  It  is  no  time  to  seek  God  when  the  house  begins  to 
fall,  when  the  walls  are  coming  down,  when  we  are  tortured  on  the 
bed  of  sickness.  It  is  no  time  then  to  seek  eternal  riches.  It  is  this 
beautiful  Sabbath  morning,  this  very  hour,  that  we  should  call 
upon  Him  while  He  is  near. 

Is  He  near?  That  is  the  question  of  many.  If  any  man  or 
woman  thinks  He  is  far  away,  let  them  remember  that  He  said  that 
when  only  "  two  of  you  are  together,  I  am  with  you."  Is  He  not 
still  merciful?  Is  He  not  still  gracious?  Does  He  not  still  want  to 
lift  up  the  world  ?  Does  He  not  wish  to  place  you  on  the  heights 
above?  Did  God  not  show  His  love  for  us  when  He  sent  His  only 
begotten  Son  down  into  this  world  for  our  salvation,  when  He  left 
the  throne  and  came  down  into  this  dark  world,  and  passed  by  the 
columns  of  the  palace  and  went  to  the  manger?  Was  he  not  in 
earnest?  And,  dear  friends,  if  God  was  in  earnest  when  He  came 
among  us  to  die  on  the  cross,  shall  we  not  be  in  earnest?  Is  it  not 
time  to  turn  toward  Him — to  seek  the  Lord  when  He  may  be 
called? 

The  text  shows  that  the  time  has  come.  There  are  many  that 
have  called  when  it  was  too  late. 

Now  take  the  third  section  of  my  text,  and  that  is  a  command: 
"  Seek  first  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  His  righteousness,  and  all  these 
things  shall  be  added  unto  you."  Now,  if  that  means  what  it  says, 
and  I  have  no  doubt  it  does,  it  means  to  seek  the  kingdom  of  God 
before  you  go  out  of  this  house  this  morning.  It  means  you  are  to 
seek  Him  before  you  go  home — before  you  take  another  step. 
There  is  not  a  thing  that  you  can  put  between  your  salvation  and 
your  soul — no  solitary  thing.  No  man  or  woman  in  this  place  ought 
to  think  of  waiting  for  a  moment.  You  know  that  all  of  God's 
blessings  have  come  that  way.  Take  the  life  of  Christ  while  He 
■^vas  here,  and  its  one  teaching  is,  be  obedient. 

Every  solitary  one  who  did  what  he  thought  he  ought  to  do  was 
Messed.    Take  blind  Bartimeus  who  was  commanded  to  go  his  way, 


CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION.  871 

and  he  went  and  was  blessed  in  the  very  act  of  going.  To  another 
this  blessed  Lord  said,  "  Go  home  and  tell  your  friends  what  great 
things  the  Lord  has  done."  He  started  home  and  he  was  blessed  on 
the  way.  He  said  to  the  ten  lepers,  "  Go  show  yourselves  to  the 
priests! "  These  men  might  have  said,  "  We  show  ourselves  to  the 
priests!  AVhy  they  have  banished  us  to  the  desert,  sent  us  outside 
the  walls  of  the  citv,  crying  'Unclean!  unclean!'"  But  the  ten 
obeyed,  and  what  was  the  result?  They  were  healed  in  the  very 
act  of  obedience.  I  would  like  to  have  seen  those  ten  men  who  were 
healed,  as  their  wholeness  dawned  upon  them.  "  Why,  look  here, 
John,  I  am  whole;  I  feel  as  if  I  could  leap  over  a  stone  wall."  And 
"another  says,  "  vSo  am  I,"  and  the  whole  ten  find  that  they  are  whole, 
and  walk  and  leap  and  praise  God. 

And  vou  remember  the  paralytic  to  whom  the  word  came,  "  Take 
up  thy  bed  and  walk."  He  did  not  withhold  obedience  one  second, 
and  God  gave  him  power  to  fulfill  the  word.  So  you  can  always 
take  God  at  his  word,  and  in  obedience  to  vour  salvation.  What  he 
has  commanded  He  will  give  you  ability  to  perform.  Obedience, 
that  is  the  first  and  great  thing.  No  other  question  will  compare 
with  that  of  our  immortal  destiny. 

I  can  imagine  the  commotion  there  would  be  in  this  audience  this 
morning  if  a  whisper  should  go  through  the  congregation,  "  Solomon 
is  here."  How  all  eyes  would  turn  to  yonder  door  in  wondering 
expectancy.  And  if  he  should  walk  to  the  platform,  how  hushed 
you  would  be.  I  can  imagine  ou  would  look  up  to  him  in  rev- 
erence and  love.  I  can  imagine  his  saying  to  you,  "  Whatsoever  thy 
hand  findeth  to  do,  do  it  with  thy  might,  for  there  is  no  knowledge 
in  the  grave  whither  thou  goest."  Do  what  thou  hast  to  do  with 
all  thy  might.  My  friends — is  there  any  other  question  of  import- 
ance to  compare  with  this  question  of  eternal  life? 

To  buy  and  sell,  to  get  gain,  and  live  a  little  longer  in  Chicago 
— is  that  so  important  as  this  question  of  eternal  life?  vSuppose  you 
had  rolled  up  the  wealth  of  Croesus,  and  had  not  eternal  life;  suppose 
you  should  live  many  years  longer  without  eternal  life;  is  there  any- 
thing in  this  life  compared  with  the  life  beyond? 

And  I  imagine  another  speaker  coming  in.  He  is  the  old 
prophet  of  Carmel,  the  Tishbite.  Wouldn't  you  like  to  hear  Elijah  ? 
He  has  got  a  strange  coat  on,  all  camel's  hair,  walks  like  a  giant. 
You  say,  "  I  would  like  to  hear  Elijah."  You  would  want  me  to 
arop  down  into  a  seat  pretty  quick,  and  let  the  old  prophet  speak. 
And  what  does  he  say?  "  How  long  halt  ye  between  two  opinions? 
If  God  be  God,  then  serve  Him;  if  Baal,  then  follow  him." 

He  called  to  a  nation  that  was  in  need  of  decision.  That  is 
what  Chicago  wants  to-day;  for  you  serve  either  God  or  the  devil. 
You  cannot  serve  both.     Oh,  I  believe  the  curse  of  the  day — the 


872  CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION. 

present  day — is  this  worldliness  that  has  come  into  the  church. 
People  try  to  serve  both  God  and  mammon.  They  are  trying  it  in 
Chicago.  But  no  man  can  serve  God  that  way.  No.  He  must 
have  the  whole  heart.  He  won't  accept  of  any  other  service.  My 
friends,  it  is  decision  we  want.  It  is  not  more  sermons,  not  more 
light,  but  to  obey  the  light  we  have.  I  have  come  this  morning  in 
the  hope  that  I  may  call  you  to  decide  what  you  will  do.  I  spoke 
to  you  of  Solomon  and  Elijah. 

I  will  speak  to  you  of  another  person  you  would  like  to  hear. 
You  would  like  to  hear  Paul,  and  I  can  imagine  your  saying  to 
yourselves:  "Yes;  wouldn't  I  like  to  hear  him.  I  would  walk  a 
hundred  miles  to  hear  Paul."  If  there  is  any  man  who  is  my  ideal 
of  a  preacher,  Paul  is  that  man.  Well,  suppose  him  here.  What 
does  he  say?  Behold,  to-morrow  is  the  day  of  salvation?  "  Behold, 
now  is  the  day  of  salvation.     Behold,  now  is  the  accepted  time." 

This  day,  this  hour,  this  moment!  I  have  no  right  to  speak  to 
you  about  to-morrow.  Only  three  weeks  ago  I  talked  long  and 
earnestly  with  a  dear  friend,  and  he  has  just  been  followed  to  his 
grave;  and  this  morning  and  last  night,  at  midnight,  I  thought  of 
different  texts;  and  different  subjects  came  up  to  me  that  might  stir 
the  church  of  God;  and  it  seemed  to  me  that  I  heard  it  said — so 
impressed  was  it  on  my  mind — that  there  might  be  some  one  in  the 
congregation  who  would  never  hear  a  Gospel  sermon  again.  There 
may  be  some  one  here,  and  he  may  never  hear  my  voice  again ;  and 
so  I  took  for  my  text  this  matter  in  hope  that  there  might  be  some 
who  would  hear  my  voice  this  morning,  and,  hearing  it,  would 
heed. 

Oh !  I  beseech  of  you,  my  friends,  don't  spurn  the  gift  of  God. 
If  I  could  only  picture  eternal  life,  I  would  have  one  sermon,  and 
would  go  to  heathen  nations  and  take  an  interpreter,  and  just  tell  it 
out.  But  I  cannot  do  it.  I  have  tried  many  times  to  describe  what 
it  is,  but  somehow  or  other  it  seems  that  my  tongue  is  tied.  If  I 
could  but  picture  what  eternal  life  is,  we  should  see  a  great  rush  into 
the  kingdom  of  God  this  morning.  We  would  flock  into  the  king- 
dom by  hundreds  and  thousands,  if  only  we  could  see  what  it  is;  if 
we  could  only  grasp  this  tremendous  thing — the  eternal  life  of  the 
soul.  What  is  life  here  ?  The  world  is  filled  with  sorrow ;  filled 
with  disappointment.  As  I  look  over  the  audience  I  see  on  every 
side  the  emblems  of  mourning  over  the  victories  of  the  grave;  no 
circle  but  what  has  been  broken;  no  fireside  without  the  vacant 
chair.  Before  us  all  dawns  the  opening  grave.  In  a  little  while 
we  must  lie  dow^n  in  its  darkness. 

But  think  of  the  life  where  there  is  no  care;  where  the  natural 
strength  never  becomes  abated;  the  eye  never  grows  dim;  where 
the  pulse  is  always  firm ;  a  city  that  has  no  cemetery ;  where  death 


CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION.  873 

..ever  comes;  where  sin  never  enters — for  all  that  is  sweet  and  pnre 
and  lovely  is  in  its  native  clime.  There  we  should  be  in  the  presence 
of  our  dear  Lord,  and  our  bodies  would  be  fashioned  like  unto  His 
own  glorious  body,  and  we  shall  be  with  Him  for  ever  and  for  ever. 
Blessed  eternal  life! 

What  is  here  but  banishment  compared  to  such  eternal  life? 
To  go  on  the  Board  of  Trade  and  make  a  few  thousand  dollars; 
whiitisthat?  To  live  a  few  years;  what  is  that?  Nothing  at  all  to 
be  mentioned  with  the  life  of  the  redeemed  souls  stretching  in  hap- 
piness on  and  on  and  on,  beyond  the  grave. 

And  this  is  my  charge:  ''The  wages  of  sm  is  death;  the  gift  of 
God  is  eternal  life."  Will  you,  my  friends,  have  it  this  morning? 
Man!  will  you  take  it?  Come,  my  friends,  will  you  not  tell  rne 
you  are  stretching  out  for  it  with  every  sinew  of  your  soul;  and  will 
you  not  now  embrace  it  to  your  hearts?  Oh!  if  yo.i  will  take  my 
advice,  you  will  not  go  out  of  this  house  this  morning  until  you  have 
eternal  life. 

The  last  text:  That  is  the  promise.  The  Scripture  says:  "If 
thou  shalt  confess  with  thy  mouth  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  believe  in 
thy  heart  that  God  raised  him  from  the  dead,  thou  shalt  be  saved, 
for  with  the  mouth  confession  is  made  unto  salvation;"  for  the 
Scripture  says,  "  Whosoever  believes  on  Him  shall  not  be  ashamed." 
Now,  dear  friends,  there  is  the  promise — that  if  we  shall  confess 
with  the  mouth  the  Lord  Jesus  and  believe  on  Him,  thou  shalt  not 
be  ashamed. 

I  believe  that  a  great  many  are  kept  out  of  the  kingdom  of  God 
because  they  are  ashamed  to  confess.  If  they  could  get  into  the 
kingdom  of  God  without  the  cross,  they  would  be  very  glad  to  get 
in.  If  they  could  get  into  the  kingdom  of  God  without  confessing, 
they  would  be  willing  to  go  in.  But  this  taking  up  of  the  cross, 
this  self-denial,  this  it  is  that  keeps  thousands  out  from  the  kingdom 
of  God.  Why  is  it  that  Mohammed  has  got  so  many  more  disciples 
than  Christ,  many  ask  me.  It  is  because  his  follower  does  not  have 
to  deny  himself  of  the  lusts  of  the  flesh  like  the  follower  of  Jesus 
Christ.  I  believe  that  the  fear  of  the  cross  is  keeping  hundreds  and 
thousands  out  of  the  kingdom  of  God.  But  if  you  want  to  meet 
Christ  you  must  meet  Him  at  the  cross;  and  if  you  want  Christ  this 
morning  you  must  take  up  the  cross.  What  is  the  cross,  I  would 
know.     It  is  different  things  to  different  persons. 

I  remember  when  last  in  Edinburgh  a  business  man  came  to  our 
meeting.  He  had  made  up  his  mind  that  he  ought  to  live  right,  and 
that  he  ought  to  have  a  family  altar.  And  as  -he  hurried  his  wife 
and  children  up  the  next  morning  his  wife  said,  "  George,  what's 
your  hurry  ?  "  And  he  went  into  the  parlor  and  said :  "  I  have  a  con- 
fession to  make  this  morning,  and  I  want  to  have  you  forgive  me. 


874  CHRISTIAN    CONVEXTIOX. 

You  have  never  heard  me  say  any  words  in  prayer.  I  am  going  to 
commence  this  morning.  I  want  you  and  I  want  mv  children  to 
help  me."  And  then  he  got  down  and  confessed  his  soul  as  well  as 
he  could.  That  was  the  way  he  took  up  the  cross;  and  I  do  not 
know  of  a  man  who  was  ever  more  blessed  with  God  than  that  man. 
He  met  God  at  the  cross.  Make  up  your  mind  that  He  tells  you  that 
to-day  is  the  time;  that  He  tells  you  to  call  upon  Him  now.  Will 
3-ou  respond  to  His  call?  Will  you  give  yourselves  henceforth  and 
forever  to  Him  ? 

Once,  I  remember,  a  ladv  came  into  the  meeting  I  was  at,  and 
she  came  in  like  many  others,  just  out  of  idle  curiosity.  She  and 
her  father,  her  brother  and  her  sister  had  been  making  a  good  deal 
of  sport  of  the  meetings;  but  she  thought  she  would  go  in.  There 
was  not  anything  in  the  sermon  that  seemed  to  touch  her;  but  there 
was  a  lady  at  her  side,  and  when  the  meeting  was  over  this  lady 
spoke  to  her  kindly,  gently,  in  winning  accents.  The  lady  threw 
up  her  head  haughtily,  and  said,  "  I  don't  like  such  kind  of  preach- 
ing." But  the  other  lady  asked  her  to  come  again,  and  she  came 
again,  and  this  Christian  woman  soon  won  her  affection.  She  came 
to  see  this  ladv,  and  promised  to  have  a  little  talk  with  her,  and 
came  back  again  and  again. 

But  what  kept  her  from  the  kingdom  of  God  for  about  a  week 
was  that  she  had  to  confess  before  her  brother,  her  father  and  her 
sister.  She  knew  ^vhat  bitter  opposition  there  would  be  from  them. 
But,  she  said,  if  the  Lord  would  take  the  burden  she  would  take  the 
cross.  She  went  home  and  told  her  father  that  she  had  made  up 
her  mind  to  become  a  Christian.  The  opposition  became  very  bitter. 
"  Now,  won't  you  tell  us  what  you  have  got  there  ? "  they  asked  her. 
She  answered:  "In  the  first  place  I  have  got  self-control."  And 
she  says:  "You  know,  sister,  if  you  had  said  half  the  many  unkind 
things  you  have  said  to  me  since  I  have  been  converted  before  I  had 
been  converted,  I  should  have  answered  back.  Then  I  have  got 
peace,  too — peace  with*  God,  and  peace  with  all  around."  The 
sister  broke  into  a  flood  of  tears  and  exclaimed,  "  I  have  not  got 
them."  "  Go  \vith  me  to  the  meeting,"  the  other  answered.  They 
both  went  and  became  firm  friends  of  Jesus.  But  the  father  was 
firm  in  his  convictions.  He  said  he  would  never  be  known  to  be  at 
such  meetings.  He  was  ashamed  of  people  going  to  such  places. 
But  the  sisters  worked  along  together,  and  finally  they  told  their 
brother  that  Mr.  Black,  of  the  University,  would  speak  that  night. 
The  young  man  turned  pale  and  said:  "There  must  be  something 
in  it;  I  will  go  to-night;"  and  that  friend  led  him  into  the  kingdom 
of  God;  and  he  had  only  been  a  Christian  six  weeks  when  he  died, 
and  he  called  his  father  and  said :  "  Was  it  not  a  good  thing   that 


CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION.  °'^ 

Black  got  up  and  spoke?     Was  it  not  a  good  thing  that  I  became  a 
Christian?" 

Oh  I  dear  friends,  you  may  be  spending  your  last  summer,  your 
last  winter  on  earth.     Take  the  cross.     Take  it  up,  and  thou  shalt 
be  confessed  to  the  Lord  Jesus.     Oh!  that  you  may  be  saved;  that 
you  may  be  blessed  just  now.     Let  us  unite  in  prayer. 
EVENING  SERVICE. 

At  the  evening  services  the  congregation  was  fully  as  large  as 
that  in  the  morning,  and  there  was  visible  on  the  vast  sea  of  faces 
upturned  to  the  earnest  speaker  on  the  platform  an  expression  of 
deep  interest  and  emotion.  Occasionally  as  the  voice  of  the  evan- 
gelist pealed  out  the  promises  of  God  to  those  who  love  Him,  and 
tl  le  punishment  to  be  meted  out  to  the  wicked,  here  and  there  a 
handkerchief  was  raised,  or  a  low  sob  broke  upon  the  ear. 

The  services  were  opened  with  an  offering  of  prayer  and  song, 
after  which  Mr.  bloody  announced  as  the  text  of 

THE  SERMON. 

Mark  xii,,  34:  "  Thou  art  not  far  from  the  kingdom  of  God." 

In  this  chapter,  he  said,  I  suppose  the  Saducees  and  Pharisees 
both  had  met  to  attack  Christ;  at  least  they  had  come  asking  Him 
questions  in  hopes  that  they  might  entangle  Him,  and  get  Him  to 
say  something  that  would  give  them  occasion  to  stone  Him  to  death. 
After  He  had  silenced  them,  and  they  could  ask  him  no  more  ques- 
tions, a  hiwver  asked  Him  which  was  the  greatest  commandment  of 
all.  He  answered  Him,  and  the  lawyer  was  obliged  to  say  that  He 
had  answered  well,  and  Christ  made  this  remark  to  the  young  law- 
yer: "Thou  art  not  far  from  the  kingdom  of  God."  I  am  afraid 
if  Christ  had  not  made  that  remark  we  would  have  put  Him  down 
as  a  caviler;  that  He  had  come  in  the  same  spirit  that  the  Saducees 
and  Pharisees  had  come;  but  Christ  was  a  prophet;  He  could  read 
this  man's  heart;  He  could  see  that  this  man  could  tell  the  diflference 
between  the  external  and  the  internal;  that  it  was  not  just  a  matter 
of  form  with  him;  that  he  knew  that  the  law  of  God  was  pure, 
and  that  he  knew  the  spiritual  meaning  of  the  doctrines  that  Christ 
had  come  to  teach.  Now,  there  was  no  class  of  people  that  thought 
they  were  so  near  to  the  kingdom  of  God  as  the  Pharisees  did;  and 
there  was  no  class  of  people  that  were  so  far  from  the  kingdom  of 
God  as  these  very  men.  They  were  the  most  difficult  class  of  people 
to  teach,  and  it  is  so  to-day.  You  can  reach  the  abandoned  a  great 
deal  better  and  easier  than  you  can  reach  the  elder  brothers  and  the 
Pharisees. 

Now,  suppose  that  we  had  been  in  the  temple  when  the  Pharisee 
and  the  publican  went  up  to  worship,  we  w^ould  have  put  the 
Pharisee  down  as  a  noble  man,  already  in  the  kingdom  of  God,  or, 
if  not,  very  near  it;  and  we  would  have  said  that  the  publican  was  a 


876  CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION. 

good  way  from  it.  But  God  can  see  more  than  we  can  see;  the 
Pharisee  was  near  the  kingdom  of  God,  but  the  publican  passed 
right  by  and  went  In.  In  another  place  Christ  said  to  the  Phari- 
sees, "  The  publican  and  harlots  shall  go  into  the  kingdom  of  God 
before  you."  Why  ?  Because  they  repented  and  turned  from  their 
sins.  The  kingdom  of  God  is  wide  open ;  the  door  is  wide  open  to 
any  man  that  is  willing  to  repent  of  his  sins  and  turn  to  God,  but 
the  man  that  is  drawing  around  him  the  rags  of  self-righteousness, 
and  thinks  that  he  is  better  than  other  people,  is  a  good  way  from 
the  kingdom  of  God. 

The  object  of  the  text  and  of  the  sermon  to-night  is  to  call  your 
attention  to  a  class  of  people — I  think  it  is  a  large  class — that  come 
very  near  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  yet  miss  it.  I  think  you  will 
find  the  world  is  full  of  that  class  of  men — that  is,  their  represent- 
atives. Cases  have  been  recorded,  and  I  think  it  may  be  a  warning 
to  us.  I  never  noticed  until  lately  how  Herod,  who  took  the  life  of 
John  the  Baptist,  was  once  very  near  the  kingdom  of  God.  If  a 
'man  had  said  to  me  a  year  ago,  or  two  years  ago,  "  Did  you  ever 
think,  Mr.  Moody,  that  Herod  came  near  the  kingdom  of  God  ?  " 
I  should  have  said,  "  No,  I  do  not  think  he  ever  came  near  it." 
But  there  was  one  passage  of  Scripture  that  I  had  overlooked.  Let 
me  read  it.  It  is  the  sixth  chapter  of  Mark,  verse  3o:  "  For  Herod 
feared  John,  knowing  that  he  was  a  just  man,  and  heard  him 
gladly." 

Now  that  snows  that  Herod  was  brought  under  the  influence  of 
John's  preaching.  I  can  imagine  when  John  was  preaching  there  in 
the  wilderness  there  was  a  great  crowd  standing  upon  the  banks  of 
the  Jordan,  listening  to  that  wonderful  man — one  of  the  most  wonder- 
ful preachers,  perhaps,  that  this  world  has  ever  had  or  ever  will  have. 
Most  any  man'  can  get  a  crowd  in  a  city,  where  people  throng  and  are 
numerous;  but  it  is  quite  a  different  thing  to  get  people  together  off  in 
the  desert  to  hear  a  man  preach.  Here  was  a  man  coming  into  the 
wilderness  of  Judea  without  reputation,  without  fame,  without  a  long 
title  to  his  name — ^just  a  mere  voice  crying  on  the  banks  of  the 
Jordan,  and  that  mighty  audience  flocked  by  thousands  to  hear  him. 
I  can  imagine,  as  he  stands  there  preaching  the  glorious  gospel  of 
the  kingdom  of  God,  that  many  who  had  been  looking  into  the 
future,  trying  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  coming  one,  must  have  been 
thrilled  as  he  stood  there  proclaiming  the  glad  tidings;  and  while 
he  was  preaching  in  that  way  I  can  imagine  there  was  a  great  com- 
motion in  the  congregation,  and,  perhaps,  if  Herod  once  in  a  while 
had  heard  him — the  idea  that  Herod  should  go  to  hear  a  street 
preacher — that  he  should  leave  the  palace  and  go  to  the  banks _ of 
the  Jordan  to  hear  this  man ! 

Every  eye  was  upon  him.     Every  once  in  a  while  you  would  see 


CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION.  877 

them  looking  around  to  see  how  Herod  took  it;  and  I  can  imagine 
they  perhaps  saw  a  tear  in  his  eye,  because  it  says  he  heard  him 
gladly,  and  not  only  heard  him  but  he  done  many  things,  and  if 
you  had  gone  into  Herod's  court  in  those  days  you  would  have 
heard  him  talking  of  John  the  Baptist.  I  will  venture  to  say  there 
was  not  hardly  one  who  would  talk  about  John  the  Baptist  but  who 
would  be  told :  "  You  want  to  go  down  and  hear  that  man  j^reach ; 
I  never  heard  a  man  preach  like  him;  his  words  come  right  straight 
from  the  heart;  I  never  heard  a  man  talk  like  him;  I  never  had  a 
man  talk  to  me  the  way  that  man  did.  I  have  stopped  swearing; 
I  used  to  swear,  and  I  haven't  sworn  since  I  heard  him  preach;  in 
fact  I  have  done  a  good  many  things  that  I  would  not  have  done 
if  I  hadn't  heard  him  preach;  he  is  just  the  preacher  I  like;  he 
talks  right  at  me,  and  he  tells  me  my  faults."  He  was  brought 
under  conviction,  and  under  deep  conviction,  because  when  you 
see  a  man  breaking  off  this  sin  and  that  sin  you  may  know 
that  they  have  been  touched  by  the  spirit  of  God.  And 
this  was  Herod ;  the  spirit  of  God  was  moving  upon  his  heart ;  but, 
alas!  Herod  made  a  compromise;  he  wanted  to  be  a  disciple,  and 
yet  he  didn't  want  to  give  up  all  sin.  I  believe  there  are  a  great 
many  men  to-day  in  the  same  position  that  Herod  was.  I  believe 
Chicago  is  full  of  men  that  have  been  or  are  to-night  near  the  king- 
dom of  God;  but,  alas!  they  are  going  to  miss  the  kingdom,  be- 
cause they  are  not  willing  to  give  up  all  sin;  they  want  to  make  a 
compromise.  There  are  many  different  sins;  perhaps  he  was  in 
the  habit  of  taking  bribes  up  to  that  time,  and  he  had  got  to  the 
point  where  he  would  not  take  any  bribes.  It  may  be  he  was  in 
the  habit  of  getting  under  the  influence  of  liquor  and  got  drunk  now 
and  then.  He  says:  "I  must  stop  drinking  so  much;  I  must  break 
off  many  things;"  and  he  was  a  hopeful  subject. 

I  can  imagine  after  John  had  preached  one  day,  and  then  had 
seen  Herod  brought  under  the  influence  of  his  preaching,  it  might 
have  been  reported  to  John,  "Well,  I  do  think  Herod  will  be 
among  the  inquirers  to-morrow  when  you  get  through  pleading;  I 
think  he  has  almost  got  to  the  point,  and  is  just  coming  to  see  you 
after  you  break  up,"  because  John  did  heal  inquirers,  you  know. 
Soldiers  asked  him  what  they  should  do ;  civilians  asked  him  what 
they  should  do;  publicans,  they  addressed  words  to  him,  and  wanted 
to  know  what  they  should  do,  and  undoubtedly  many  of  the  disci- 
ples thought  that  Herod  would  soon  be  among  the  inquirers ;  that 
he  would  soon  be  pressing  up  to  the  front  to  ask  John  what  he  must 
do  that  he  might  inherit  eternal  life.  Alas,  Herod  came  near  the 
kingdom  of  God,  but  he  missed  it,  and  '♦•  was  not  long  before  he 
became  w^orse  than  ever 

Now,  I  hear  people  bring  this  charge  against  special  meetmgs. 


878  CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION. 

They  say  they  make  some  people  worse ;  well,  there  is  no  doubt 
about  that,  but  any  one  that  knows  anything  about  the  teaching  of 
that  book  would  not  talk  in  that  way.  The  Gospel  \vill  be,  per- 
haps, a  savor  of  life  unto  life,  or  death  unto  death.  It  is  the  Gospel 
that  softens  some  hearts,  and  hardens  others.  The  same  sun  that 
strikes  upon  the  ice  in  one  moment,  strikes  upon  the  clay  and 
hardens  it  and  the  hardening  process  or  the  softening  process  is 
going  on  here  to-night.  Men  do  not  remain  the  same.  You  are  not 
the  same  you  were  ten  3'ears  or  five  years  ago.  Sermons  that  would 
have  impressed  you  five  years  ago  make  no  impression  upon  you  now. 
The  sermon  that  would  have  brought  tears  to  your  eves  five  years 
ago  would  make  no  impression  upon  you  now,  because  the  harden- 
ing process  has  been  going  on  in  that  time;  men  do  not  remain  as 
they  were;  men  do  not  stand  still;  we  are  going  on  either  for 
better  or  for  worse.  If  some  one  had  said  to  Herod  after  he  was 
brought  under  the  influence  of  Johns  preaching,  "Herod^  do  you 
know  you  are  going  to  take  the  life  of  that  good  man?  Do  3-ou 
know  you  are  going  to  have  John  beheaded,  and  do  you  know  you 
will  do  it  in  a  few  months?"  He  would  have  said,  "Am  I  a  dog 
that  I  should  do  such  a  thing?  That  man  with  the  voice  he  has? 
I  never  heard  such  a  voice ;  I  would  rather  hear  him  preach  than 
any  man  I  ever  heard  in  my  life.  Silence  him?  I  silence  him? 
Never!"  Alas!  a  few  months  after  that  and  Herod  was  seven  times 
more  a  child  of  hell  than  ever,  and  it  was  Herod  that  silenced  the 
voice  of  one  of  the  best  preachers  this  world  has  ever  known ;  a 
man  of  whom  it  could  safely  have  been  said,  "  Thou  art  not  far 
from  the  kingdom  of  God." 

Now  let  us  notice  the  mistake  Herod  made;  it  was  that  he  didn't 
make  clean  work  of  it.  No  man  can  get  into  the  kingdom  of  God 
that  does  not  make  a  complete  surrender;  it  is  an  unconditional 
surrender  that  it  needed;  it  is  not  ninety-nine  sins  out  of  a  hundred, 
but  it  is  every  one.  If  a  man  does  not  make  clean  work  he  can- 
not get  into  the  kingdom  of  God.  Now  there  are  a  good  many 
men  want  to  be  saved,  but  they  do  not  want  to  give  up  all  their 
sins.  There  are  some  secret  sins.  I  used  to  think  men  had  intel- 
lectual difficulties;  there  were  so  many  mysteries  in  the  Bible  that 
men  wovild  not  give  their  hearts  to  God,  but  I  have  got  over  that. 
There  is  no  trouble  about  getting  into  the  kingdom  of  God  when 
vou  are  ready  to  part  \vith  sin.  Let  the  wicked  forsake  his  way 
and  the  unrighteous  man  his  faults  and  go  to  God  and  be  abun- 
dantly pardoned.  But  Herod  had  a  secret  sin,  his  life  was  not  right, 
but  at  last  John  pointed  out  that  sin.  Thank  God  for  such  preach- 
ers. I  will  tell  you,  what  we  ^vant  to-day  is  men  who  Avill  go  into 
the  pulpit  and  tell  you  what  your  sin  is.  It  is  not  these  men  who 
will  say  "Peace,  peace,  peace,"   when   there   is   no  peace;  it  is   not 


CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION.  879 

these  men  who  will  come  with  oily  words  and  a  silvery  tongue, 
men  who  believe  all  is  right  in  sin  because  it  is  all  wrong.  The 
day  of  retribution  is  coming.  God  has  got  a  conti-oversy  with  sin 
and  is  going  to  punish  sin,  and  if  we  do  not  w^arn  men  of  their 
sins,  wdiy  we  are  not  faithful.  I  am  so  thankful  that  John  was 
true,  and  told  Herod  that  he  could  not  go  on  sinning;  he  pointed 
out  his  sins.  He  saw  Herod's  difficulty;  he  knew  what  was  keep- 
ing him  from  God;  he  was  living  in  adultery,  and,  my  friends,  I 
believe  the  day  has  come  when  ministers  have  got  to  speak  out 
against  this  course  of  sin. 

I  firmly  believe  more  men  and  women  are  kept  out  of  the  king- 
dom on  account  of  adultery  to-day  than  strong  drink.  A  man  when 
he  gets  drunk  goes  rolling  through  the  streets  and  publishes  it,  and 
every  one  finds  it  out;  but  this  sin  is  covered  up,  and  it  is  a  delicate 
thing,  and  ministers  do  not  like  to  speak  about  it  on  account  of  the 
young  in  the  congregation;  but  the  time  has  come  when  we  have 
got  to  speak  out,  "No  adulterer  shall  enter  into  the  kingdom!  No 
adulterer  shall  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God!"  Do  you  believe 
it?  Do  you  believe  it?  Well,  if  you  do,  then,  dear  friends,  break 
with  sin,  and  if  that  is  your  besetting  sin,  may  God  help  you  to- 
night to  make  clean  work  of  it,  and  do  just  as  Lot  did,  flee  out  of 
Sodom,  turn  your  back  upon  it,  and  cry,  "God  have  mercy  upon 
me.  Oh!  God,  forgive  me."  I  don't  know  of  a  quicker  way  down 
to  death  and  hell  than  the  way  of  the  harlot,  and  it  is  a  sin  some 
people  seem  to  make  light  of;  they  do  not  seem  to  realize  it  is  going 
to  destroy  their  soul  and  their  body  as  it  did  poor  Herod's.  Yes,  he 
liked  John's  preaching ;  he  liked  his  style,  he  liked  his  manner,he  liked 
the  truth,  but,  alas,  he  did  not  like  it  enough  to  bring  him  out  from 
his  sin. 

Now,  it  may  be  I  am  speaking  to-night  to  some  man  or  some 
woman  that  has  been  kept  out  of  the  kingdom  of  God  on  account 
of  this  curse  of  sin.  May  God  deliver  you  to-night.  May  that 
person  cry  from  the  depth  of  his  soul,  "Oh,  my  God,  have  merc}^ ; 
niy  God  deliver  me,"  and  from  this  night  let  the  cry  go  up,  "Oh, 
mv  God,  help  me;  God  forgive  me;"  or  vour  fate  will  be  like  that 
of  Herod's. 

Ages  have  passed  and  Herod — how  black  his  name  is!  What 
a  bitter  end  was  his!  Do  you  remember  after  he  beheaded  John 
that  Jesus  came  preaching  and  the  news  spread  through  the  country, 
"  The  crowds  are  flocking  to  hear  this  Galilean."  I  suppose  it  was 
Herod's  conscience  which  rose  up.  Herod  whispered  .  "  It  is  John 
risen  from  the  dead."  It  was  his  conscience.  "John  risen  from  the 
dead;  w^hat  w^ill  become  of  me?  This  man  that  I  have  slain  to 
gratify  the  woman  that  led  me  astray ;  he  is  living  again ; "  it  was 
his  conscience  that  was  troubling  him. 


880  CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION. 

But  let  me  pass  on,  because  there  are  many  things  1  want  to  call 
your  attention  to  here  to-night.  I  want  to  bring  to  your  mind  some 
other  Bible  characters,  and  bring  home  to  you  your  sins  in  order 
that  you  will  see  yourselves,  because  that  is  the  object  of  these  Bible 
characters;  it  is  that  we  may  see  ourselves.  I  believe  Pilate  was  as 
other  men  that  came  near  the  kingdom  of  God.  He  was  different 
from  Herod,  but  he  represents  another  class.  I  believe  that  the  day 
Christ  was  before  Pilate  was  Pilate's  golden  opportunity;  it  was 
Pilate's  chance.  Every  man  has  his  chance,  and  when  Pilate  met 
Christ  first,  you  will  remember  he  was  prejudiced  against  Him;  he 
didn't  believe  in  Him.  He  believed  He  was  in  the  wrong,  but  when 
he  came  to  talk  with  Him,  he  found  that  he  was  mistaken,  and  after 
making  a  close  examination  he  came  out  and  said  to  the  Jews,  "  I 
find  no  fault  with  this  man." 

He  would  have  been  glad  to  have  found  some  fault  in  His  char- 
acter; he  would  have  been  glad  to  have  found  some  fault  with  Him, 
but  after  making  a  thorough  examination,  this  was  his  testimony: 
"I  find  no  fault  in  Him;  I  will  chastise  Him  and  let  Him  go." 
What  is  he  going  to  chastise  an  innocent  man  for?  Nor  do  you 
know  the  weakness  of  Pilate's  character.  Do  you  know  Pilate 
wanted  to  be  popular?  That  is  all.  He  wanted  to  be  on  the  popu- 
lar side.  There  is  a  good  many  men  kept  out  of  the  kingdom  of 
God  because  they  haven't  got  the  moral  courage  to  act  up  to  their 
convictions;  they  are  not  far  from  the  kingdom  ;  almost  in,  but  they 
haven't  got  the  moral  courage  to  "do  right  and  let  the  heavens 
fall,"  if  they  will;  do  right  because  it  is  right.  And  when  Pilate 
found  out  He  was  an  innocent  character,  he  ought  to  have  taken 
his  stand  and  immortalized  himself.  His  name  would  have  been 
associated  with  Joseph  of  Arimathea,  Nicodemus;  his  name  would 
have  been  associated  with  the  twelve  apostles;  his  name  would  have 
come  down  through  the  ages,  and  shone  brighter  and  brighter  as 
the  ages  passed  away.  He  would  have  become  immortal  if  he  had 
only  acted  up  to  his  conviction;  but,  alas,  he  wanted  to  release 
Christ  and  he  wanted  the  applause  of  the  world ;  he  wanted  the 
favor  of  the  Jews;  he  wanted  to  hold  office  a  little  while  longer; 
poor,  vacillating  character,  and  yet  how  many  men  there  are  in  this 
congregation  to-night  in  exactly  the  condition  of  Pilate. 

You  know  very  well  you  ought  to  be  a  Christian.  You  know 
your  mother  is  as  godly  as  the  very  God  you  do  not  serve ;  you 
know  your  early  training  was  true ;  that  it  is  not  now  a  myth ;  that  it  is 
not  now  a  fiction;  but  you  come  up  here  to  Chicago;  you  have  left 
a  praying  mother;  you  have  left  a  praying  circle  at  home,  and  you 
have  got  in  perhaps  with  some  skeptic,  perhaps  with  some  men 
who  cavil  at  the  Bible  because  they  are  living  in  sin  and  they  want 
to  destroy  the  Bible  in  order  that  they  may  quiet  their  conscience; 


CHRISTIAN"    CONVENTION.  881 

you  know  very  well  if  you  come  out,  these  very  men  will  begin  to 
laugh  at  you;  they  will  begin  to  jDoint  the  finger  of  scorn  at  you 
and  say,  "So  you  are  a  Christian,  are  you?  You  have  become 
pious;  you  was  up  to  hear  that  man  preach  the  other  night,  was 
you?"  "Yes,"  and  yet  you  have  not  got  the  moral  courage  to  stand 
up  like  a  man  and  sav;  "Yes,  I  have  made  up  my  mind  I  will  be  a 
different  man."  I  believe  more  men  are  lost  because  they  haven't 
got  the  moral  courage  to  say  "no"  at  the  right  time  than  for  any 
"other  reason. 

When  I  was  in  Edinburgh  last  winter  I  heard  a  gfood  thinof.  A 
young  man  left  a  praying  home  and  went  up  to  Edinburgh,  and  he 
had  not  been  there  but  a  few  months  before  he  got  in  with  some 
fast  young  men,  and  one  night  while  they  were  on  their  way  to  a 
house  of  shame,  walking  up  Princes  street,  the  great  thoroughfare 
of  Edinburgh,  the  nine  o'clock  bell  struck,  and  the  young  man  said : 
"  This  is  the  hour  my  father  is  taking  down  the  Bible  to  have 
family  worship ;  this  will  be  the  hour  my  father  will  be  praying 
for  me,"  and  he  came  to  a  halt  and  said:  "Young  men,  I  cannot  go 
with  you."  "  Why  not  ?  "  "  Well,  I  cannot  go  with  you ;  I  can't  go 
there."  Then  they  began  to  laugh  at  him.  He  says:  "You  may 
laugh,  but  I  can't  go  with  you."  He  turned  round;  he  went  to  his 
room  and  got  his  Bible  down;  he  got  on  his  knees  and  cried  to 
his  mother's  God  to  have  mercy  upon  him;  he  found  heaven,  and 
to  day  he  is  one  of  the  most  eminent  merchants  in  the  city  of  Edin- 
burgh, while  these  young  men  went  down  to  ruin;  they  were  lost, 
but.  this  man  returned  to  the  fold;  he  acted  upon  his  convic- 
tion. That  was  the  trouble  with  Pilate,  he  didn't  act  upon  his  con- 
victions. That  was  his  golden  opportunity.  One  step  would  have 
taken  him  into  the  kingdom  of  God;  one  step  then  and  there,  and 
he  might  have  faced  Christ  and  said :  "  I  will  die  rather  than  sigfn 
your  death  warrant;  you  never  shall  go  to  the  cross;  I  would 
rather  go  there  than  send  you  there."  It  was  a  golden  oppor- 
tunity, and  I  say  it  is  a  golden  ojDportunity  for  you  to-night  to  take 
your  stand  on  the  side  of  Jesus  Christ.  It  is  a  blessed  day;  the 
gates  are  standing  wide  open;  God  invites  you  to  come.  Sinners 
cannot  get  into  the  kingdom  of  God  without  going  to  the  gate  and 
leaving  their  sins  behind  them.  Christ  is  the  way,  and  this  man 
received  sinners.  The  gates  of  heaven  would  be  closed  against  sin- 
ners, but  Christ  receives  you  and  makes  you  meet  for  the  kingdom 
of  God.     It  is  Christ  that  gets  you  into  the  kingdom. 

w  Let  me  pass  on.  Here  is  another  case,  and  that  is  Judas.  I  be- 
lieve there  are  a  great  many  hypocrites  in  the  church  to-day,  and  I 
believe  that  Judas,  notwithstanding  all  he  did,  I  cannot  help  but  be- 
lieve that  many  a  time  he  was  very  near  the  kingdom  of  God.  I 
believe  that  when  he  sat  there  on  the  Mount  and   heard   that  won- 


882  CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION. 

derful  sermon  that  Christ  preached — no  man  ever  heard  such  a  ser- 
mon— I  cannot  help  but  believe  Judas  was  almost  persuaded  to  give 
up  his  hypocrisy  and  press  into  the  kingdom.  I  cannot  help  but 
believe  when  he  heard  him  utter  those  parables  that  Tudas  was 
almost  persuaded  to  give  up  his  hypocrisy. 

I  believe  it  could  have  been  safely  said,  "Judas,  thou  art  not  far 
from  the  kingdom."  When  he  heard  Him  or  saw  Him  perform 
those  mighty  miracles,  when  he  saw  the  dead  rising  out  of  their 
graves,  when  he  saw  the  lepers  cleansed  and  those  that  he  touched 
made  whole,  I  cannot  help  but  believe  that  during  those  three 
years  Judas  was  almost  persuaded  to  be  a  real  disciple.  And  I 
believe  there  are  a  good  many  hypocrites  who  come  to  the  churches 
who  are  almost  persuaded  to  give  up  their  shams  and  hypocrisy  and 
to  come  out  and  be  real.  And  that  is  what  God  wants  us  to  do. 
May  God  help  you  to  do  it  to-night.  May  God  grant  that  this 
mask  may  be  torn  away,  and  that  they  may  not  profess  to  possess 
what  they  do  not  possess. 

It  may  be  that  Judas  stood  near  enough  to  Christ  to  touch  Him 
when  He  wept  over  Jerusalem;  and  was  not  his  heart  touched  then? 
As  He  came  up  Mount  Olivet  to  see  the  city  He  loved,  they  were 
waving  palm  branches  in  front  of  Him,  and  taking  ofFtheir  garments 
and  casting  them  in  front  of  Him  to  do  Him  homage,  but  He  seemed 
to  forget  it  all.  As  He  came  up  that  Mount  He  saw  the  city  His 
heart  loved,  and  He  saw  Gethsemane,  where  He  was  to  sweat  drops 
of  blood,  but  He  seemed  to  forget  it  all  in  a  few  moments.  He  just 
wept  over  the  city  and  said:  "Jerusalem!  Thou  that  stonest  the 
prophets ;  how  often  would  I  have  gathered  thee  as  a  hen  gathereth 
her  brood  under  her  wings,  but  ye  would  not."  Judas  saw  those 
tears  trickling  down  the  cheeks  of  the  Savior,  and  do  you  tell  me 
he  was  not  then  and  there  almost  persuaded — that  he  was  not  then 
almost  persuaded.''  There  was  the  King,  and  he  was  invited  into 
the  kingdom;  but,  alas!  he  missed  it.  And  is  not  that  the  thing  that 
makes  eternity  terrible  to  Judas.'*  I  believe  it  is  far  worse  for  him 
than  if  he  had  never  heard  of  the  kingdom.  It  is  far  worse  than  if 
he  had  never  heard  the  sound  of  the  gospel. 

And  I  pitv,  from  the  very  bottom  of  my  heart,  the  man  or 
woman  who  has  attended  the  faithful  ministry  and  heard  the  word 
of  God,  Sabbath  after  Sabbath,  and  has  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  the  in- 
vitation and  rejected  the  offer  of  mercy  and  goes  on  and  dies  in  their 
sins.  ^ 

If  I  had  made  up  my  mind  to  remain  out  and  not  become  a 
Christian,  I  would  never  hear  another  gospel  sermon  if  I  could  help 
it — never!  I  would  never  allow  any  man  to  talk  to  me  about  the 
kingdom  of  God.  I  would  never  read  the  Bible  or  any  religious 
book.     I  believe  we  will  take  away  with  us  into  another  world  all 


CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION.  883 

the  memories  of  this.  You  may  go  out  of  this  meeting  to-night 
and  in  ten  minutes  forget  all  about  it;  but  there  is  a  time  coming 
when  God  will  say; 

"Son!  daughter!  remember!" 

All  these  things  will  come  back,  and  you  will  remember  every 
sermon  you  ever  heard.  You  will  remember  the  text  to-night;  you 
w^ill  remember  how  this  meeting  w^as  brought  together  this  night; 
how  these  people  looked  on  the  platform,  and  how  they  sang  these 
gospel  hymns.  You  will  remember  how  they  sang: 
"Jesus,  lover  of  my  soul, 
Let  me  to  Thy  bosom  fly." 

And  you  will  remember  the  text  to-night  and  what  I  am  saying 
to  you.  You  are  not  far  from  the  kingdom;  some  of  you  were  al- 
most persuaded  to  take  the  step  that  would  have  taken  you  into  the 
kingdom;  but,  alas!  you  did  not  take  it,  and  it  will  be  worse  for 
you. 

We  are  told  many  of  his  disciples  went  back,  and  they  walked 
no  more  with  Him.  Sad  day!  They  \vent  back;  and  they  walked 
no  more  with  Him.  I  suppose  those  disciples  were  very  near  the 
kingdom — they  were  almost  in  the  kingdom.  One  step  more 
would  have  taken  them  in,  and  it  could  have  been  said  of  them : 

"  Thou  art  not  far  from  the  kingdom." 

But  some  accursed  sin,  some  secret  sin  kept  them.  It  was  going 
to  cost  them  too  much  to  take  up  their  cross  and  be  laughed  at  by 
men,  and  they  went  back.  But  do  you  tell  me  that  to  all  eternity  they 
do  not  regret  that  step?  And  is  there  not  an  army  of  such  now — 
almost  disciples;  almost  ready  to  give  up  the  world;  almost  in 
the  kingdom?  They  get  so  near  they  look  in.  One  more  step 
would  take  them  in,  but,  alas,  like  the  children  of  Israel,  when  they 
came  up  to  Kadesh  Barnea  they  laid  themselves  down  in  the 
wilderness,  when  they  might  have  gone  in  from  Kadesh  Barnea 
into  the  promised  land.  I  believe  that  Felix  was  just  in  that 
condition  when  he  said:  "Go  thy  way  this  time,  and  when 
I  have  a  convenient  season  I  will  call  for  thee."  I  believe 
he  meant  to  call  for  him  again.  He  heard  the  mightiest 
preacher  that  ever  preached  on  this  earth — Paul.  He  stood  before 
Felix  and  he  reasoned  with  him  on  righteousness  and  judgment  to 
come;  and  when  he  got  to  that  point  of  judgment  to  come,  perhaps 
God  opened  his  mind^  and  it  swept  on  until  that  day  when  he 
should  stand  before  the  Judge  of  the  earth  and  render  an  account  of 
the  things  done  in  the  body.     Felix  trembling  said: 

"Go  thy  way  this  time;  not  to-night." 

Is  not  that  the  condition  of  many  here  to-night?  Am  I  not 
speaking  to  more  than  500  young  men  that  are  saying:  "Wait! 
Not  now.     Wait  until  I  go  into  business  for  myself.      Wait  until  I 


884  CHRISTIAN    CONVEX TIOX. 

am  a  free  man,  and  then  I  will  attend  to  this  business,  but  not  to- 
night." Almost  like  Agrippa,  but  not  altogether.  And  if  you  are 
only  almost,  I  think  it  is  far  worse  to  be  almost,  and  not  altogether 
persuaded.  It  is  a  fearful  thing  to  come  near  the  kingdom  and 
miss  it. 

And  now  let  me  ask  you  a  question.  Begin  here  and  let  the 
question  sweep  right  up  through  the  gallery,  and  go  to  every  one 
in  yonder  gallery.  Has  there  not  been  some  one  time  in  your  life 
— let  your  mind  travel  back  into  the  past — can  you  not  call  to  mind 
some  one  night,  or  some  one  hour  when  3-ou  were  near  the  king- 
dom? The  word  of  God  came  to  your  soul  with  power.  It  might, 
perhaps,  have  been  the  midnight  hour,  when  you  were  called  to  stand 
bv  the  bedside  of  some  loved  member  of  your  family,  who  was  just 
leaving  you.  They  were  launching  their  frail  bark  out  on  the 
ocean  of  eternity,  and  they  said: 

"  Now,  I  ^vant  you  to  promise  me  that  vou  will  meet  mc  in  the 
kingdom  of  God." 

And  the  powers  of  the  unseen  world  seemed  to  lay  hold  of  you 
that  night,  and  after  they  were  gone  you  saw  them  silent  in  the 
arms  of  death.     You  went  to  your  room  and  you  said: 

"  Ves,  I  must  settle  this  question.     I  must  be  a  Christian." 
Have  you  never  passed  through  that  scene?     Have   you   never 
passed  that  station?     Come,  say,  friends,  to-night.     Just  ask   your- 
self that  question.     Have  you  not  been  in  a  state  of  mind  of  that 
kind? 

Or  it  mav  be  that  the  spirit  of  God  came  in  the  time  of  a  great 
revival  in  the  denomination  to  which  your  family  belonged;  that 
vour  mother  was  a  member  ot;  and  your  Christian  friends  gathered 
about  vou  and  pleaded  with  you,  with  tears  in  their  eyes,  to  become 
a  Christian.  That  loved  mother  could  not  sleep  nights,  and  she 
spent  her  days  in  fasting,  and  she  seemed  to  travail  again  over  you. 
She  went  to  God  with  you  in  prayer.     She  said  to  you: 

"  If  you  would  only  come,  my  boy,  I  will  be  the  happiest  woman 
m  the  world."  Or:  "  O,  my  daughter  !  won't  you  come  into  the 
kingdom?  I  will  be  so  happy  if  you  will  only  say  you  will;"  but 
alas!  you  did  not  say  it.  And  now  you  have  come  to  Chicago,  and 
you  have  got  in  with  free-thinkers  and  atheists,  and  you  have  for- 
gotten that  scene.  "  Thou  art  near  the  kingdom."  Yes,  you  were 
near  the  kingdom  some  hour  in  your  life.  Some  hour  the  word  of 
God  came  and  knocked  at  your  ear.  There  was  a  gentle  knock, 
and  you  inquired  who  was  there,  and  a  still,  small  voice  whispered, 
"Jesus.  I  have  come  to  save  you  and  take  you  into  My  kingdom. 
I  have  come  to  take  you  into  My  family  and  make  you  a  joint  heir 
with  Myself."  And  you  have  been  almost  persuaded  to  say,  "  Yes, 
Jesus,  I  will  take  you;  but  wait  a  little:  not  to-night;  not  now." 


CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION.  885 

Perhaps  five,  or  ten,  or  fifteen,  or  twenty  years  have  passed  and  you 
are  farther  from  the  kingdom  of  God  to-night  than  you  have  been 
before.  The  sermons  that  impressed  you  ten  years  before  make  no 
impression  upon  you  at  all  now.  You  can  laugh  at  death.  You 
can  go  down  and  attend  to  your  business  and  can  forget  everything 
you  have  ever  heard  about  it. 

I  remember  some  time  ago  hearing  of  an  eminent  divine,  who 
said  it  was  a  solemn  thing  to  see  2,000  persons  listening  to  a  sermon 
on  eternal  things ;  but  I  will  tell  you  something  more  solemn  than 
that.  It  is  to  meet  them  ten  minutes  afterward  and  hear  their 
levity.  They  have  forgotten  all  about  it.  Is  it  not  true  that 
many  here  to-night  have  been  very  near  the  kingdom,  but  to-night 
you  can  laugh  at  this  sermon?  You  can  make  light  of  this  text, 
"and  you  can  say  without  any  trouble:  "Jesus,  go;  I  don't  want  you. 
I  have  no  desire  for  you.  There  was  a  time  when  I  thought  some- 
thing about  you,  because  my  mother  was  such  a  beautiful  Christian. 
I  could  see  Christ  in  her  face;  but  she  has  been  gone  so  long,  and 
those  impressions  have  been  all  wiped  out,  and  I  am  a  great  ways 
from  any  serious  thoughts."  Is  not  that  the  condition  of  many 
hearts  to-night?  Now,  dear  friends,  let  me  to-night  plead  with  you 
to  get  into  the  kingdom  of  God,  let  it  cost  you  what  it  will.  If  it 
is  thy  right  eye,  out  with  it.  If  it  is  thy  right  hand,  off  with  it.  If 
it  is  "thy  right  foot,  let  it  go.  It  is  better  to  go  through  life  halt;  it 
is  better  to  be  maimed;  it  is  better  to  be  blind  down  to  our  graves 
than  it  is  to  miss  the  kingdom  of  God.  I  would  rather  be  torn  to 
pieces,  limb  from  limb,  and  my  heart  torn  out  of  my  body  and  be 
with  a  glorious  hope  of  immortality  than  to  live  a  hundred  years 
and  lose  heaven  at  last.  If  you  miss  the  kingdom  of  God  it  would 
be  far  better  you  had  never  been  born. 

Now,  are  you  not  near,  some  of  you?  Am  I  not  speaking  to 
men  and  women  who  are  saying  to  themselves,  "I  ought  to  be  a 
Christian;  I  ought  to  settle  this  thing  to-night;  well,  then,  I  will  do 
it.     God  be  good  to  me,  God  helping  me,  I  will,  I  will!" 

Do  not  be  "almost  persuaded,"  but  be  altogether,  I  remember 
of  reading,  some  time  ago,  of  eleven  men  in  the  Alps,  in  1870,  that 
were  coming  down  through  one  of  the  passes,  and  there  came  up  a 
sudden  snowstorm,  and  these  men  got  lost,  and  they  wandered 
around  for  some  time,  and  at  last  they  dug  themselves  out  a  place 
in  the  snow,  and  laid  themselves  down.  The  next  day  guides  were 
sent  out  to  hunt  them  up,  and  these  eleven  men  were  found  within 
five  feet  of  the  path.  Five  feet  more  would  have  taken  them  into 
the  path,  and  taken  them  safely  to  the  hotel,  to  the  inn;  but  they 
missed  it.  They  might  as  well  have  been  five  hundred  miles  from 
the  path  as  five  feet.  There  they  were.  They  came  near  saving 
their  lives,  but  they  missed  it.     And  so,  dear  friends,  to-night   are 


886  CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION. 

you  not  near  the  kingdom?  Is  not  God  in  our  midst  to-nighit? 
Don't  you  feel  the  working  of  the  spirit  of  God?  Is  it  all  imagin- 
ation? Is  this  all  a  myth,  a  fiction?  Is  not  the  spirit  of  God 
brooding  over  this  audience  to-night?  I  have  no  more  doubt  that 
the  spirit  of  God  is  trving  to  woo  you  to  Christ  now,  than  that  I 
stand  before  vou.  There  have  been  a  good  many  prayers  gone  up 
to  God  to-night  for  this  meeting.  You  have  the  power  to  spurn 
and  reject  his  offered  mercy.  Now,  what  will  you  do?  You  have 
the  power  to  say,  "■  Go  your  way,"  or  you  have  the  power  to  receive 
Him.  What  will  vou  do?  Will  you  step  into  the  kingdom?  I 
once  heard  a  man  get  up  and  say,  "  There  are  three  steps  to  heaven." 
I  thought  that  was  a  very  short  way.  Only  three  steps ;  out  of  self 
into  Christ,  out  of  Christ  into  glory.  But  there  is  but  one  step 
into  the  kingdom;  out  of  self  into  Christ,  and  that  is  glory.  Just 
one  step  takes  you  right  into  the  kingdom.  The  door  is  wide  open. 
God  wants  you  to  pass  in  to-night.  Dear  friends,  there  is  no  power 
on  earth  can  save  you  against  your  will.  I  imagine  some  of  you 
saying,  "  Why  don't  God  save  me  against  my  will  ?  "  I  can  only 
say,  He  don't.  He  don't  want  machines  in  heaven;  He  wants  sons; 
He  wants  to  draw  vou  by  the  cords  of  love.  He  could  save  you 
against  your  wills,  but  He  don't. 

Let  me  ask  vou  this  question:  He  gives  you  Christ,  what  more 
can  He  do?  If  vou  are  waiting  for  God  to  do  something  more 
toward  your  salvation,  what  more  can  He  do?  Just  think  a  moment. 
I  believe  a  great  manv  are  kept  out  of  the  kingdom  of  God  be- 
cause they  think  God  could  do  more  toward  their  salvation.  But  I 
tell  you  God  can  literally  do  no  more  than  He  has  done.  He  has 
sent  us  prophets,  and  we  killed  them,  He  has  sent  us  his  only  be- 
gotten Son,  and  we  took  him  to  Calvary  and  put  Him  to  death. 
We  know  when  a  man  goes  into  a  court  and  the  court  decides 
against  him,  he  takes  an  appeal  and  carries  it  to  a  higher  court,  but 
here  men  decided  that  Christ  should  go  into  the  grave,  and  the 
angels  took  Him  to  a  higher  court,  and  God  took  up  the  appeal  and 
put  Him  upon  the  throne.  Now,  what  more  would  you  ask  Him 
to  do  for  vour  salvation?  Can  He  literally  do  any  more?  Dear 
friends,  God  has  done  all  that  He  can  do.  Now,  you  accept  what 
He  has  done.  Do  not  leave  this  house  until  this  question  is  settled. 
I  think  some  of  us  would  be  willing  to  spend  this  night  here  if  we 
we  could  only  have  the  joy  of  knowing  that  \ve  would  enter 
the  kingdom  of  God.  I  think  I  would  be  willing  to  stay 
here  until  the  sun  gets  up  to-morro\v  morning  if  God  would 
give  us  some  hope ;  if  vou  will  sav,  "We  ^vill  not  leave  imtil  we 
have  settled  this  question."  Let  the  decision  come  to-night.  Say 
to-night,  "I  will  go  into  the  kingdom  of  God  if  I  can  get  in,"  and 
you  \vill  soon  get  in. 


CHRISTIAN    COX\'EXTION.  887 

Now,  I  can  imagine  Satan,  while  I  am  preaching,  is  at  work  with 
vou,  saving,  "  Don't  be  carried  away  by  that  man ;  don't  you  act 
rashly;  be  calm;  be  quiet;  don't  you  do  anything  on  the  impulse  of 
the  moment;  plenty  of  time:  take  vour  time."  Now,  bear  in  mind 
that  is  the  devil's  work.  Do  vou  think  the  Lord  Jesus  would  whis- 
per to  vou  and  sav,  "  Don't  vou  decide  to-night."  Would  your 
godly  praving  mother  say  to  you,  "  My  son,  don't  you  decide  this 
to-night;  don't  vou  be  in  haste  about  it;  take  your  timer"  Do  you 
think  vour  mother  would  do  that?  Have  you  got  a  true  friend  on 
earth  that  would  ask  vou  to  put  this  oft  to-night?     Not  one. 

Xow,  dear  friends,  I  do  not  want  to  leave  this  pulpit  to-night  with- 
out warning  you  that  procrastination  is  the  grcatc  -t  enemy  the  human 
race  has  got.  If  Satan  can  get  you  to  leave  this  church  to-night  with- 
out deciding,  he  has  accomplished  his  work;  for  to-morrow  there  will 
be  a  hundred  things  that  will  keep  you  from  deciding  this  question. 
Far  better  at  the  close  of  this  holv  Sabbath  evening  take  your  stand 
and  press  into  the  kingdom  of  God.  A  few  years  ago,  on  the  Old 
Colonv  Road  from  New  York  to  Boston,  just  before  the  train  came 
up,  a  farmer  saw  near  his  house  a  landslide.  There  was  not  time 
for  him  to  get  to  the  railway  station  and  telegraph  the  night  expres.. 
to  stop  it,  and  he  did  not  know  what  to  do.  He  took  his  lantern 
and  went  up  the  track,  and  just  before  the  train  came  he  fell  down 
and  broke  his  lantern.  He  could  not  get  another,  but  he  was  terribly 
in  earnest,  and  he  took  the  broken  lantern  and  hurled  it  at  the  engi- 
neer. The  engineer  mistrusted  something  Nvas  wx'ong,  and  he 
whistled  down  brakes,  and  the  train  was  stopped  within  a  few  feet 
of  the  land-slide.  I  throw  a  broken  lantern  at  your  feet;  dear  friends, 
take  warning.  Before  I  come  back  to  Chicago  again  many  of  you 
will  be  gone.  Will  vou  die  inside  the  kingdom  of  God.  Will  you 
die  with  rhe  glorious  hope  of  immortality?  May  God  keep  you 
from  missing  heaven.     Let  us  unite  in  prayer. 

The  congregation  bowed  their  heads,  and  Mr.  Moody  offered 
the  following  praver: 

Oh  Lord,  bless  the  words  that  have  been  spoken  to-night  in 
weakness,  Mav  they  be  carried  home  and  bear  fruit,  and  may  old 
and  young  tu-night  press  into  the  kingdom  of  God.  Oh,  that  our 
hearts  may  be  rejoiced  to-night  by  seeing  hundreds  give  their 
hearts  to  Thee.  Oh,  that  angels  may  rejoice  in  heaven  over  the 
souls  that  shall  be  saved  here.  We  praise  Thee  for  what  Thou 
didst  do  this  morning.  We  thank  Thee  that  Thou  wast  with  us, 
and  oh,  this  night  may  hundreds  be  sa\ed.  Oh  God  of  Pentecost, 
give  us  a  Pentecost  this  night,  and  mav  there  come  a  wave  of  bless- 
ing over  this  congregation,  and  now  at  the  silent  hour,  at  the  close 
of  this  solemn  meeting,  mav  the  still,  small  voice  be  heard  through- 
out this  buildinof.     Mav  there  be  many  that  shall   hear   the  gentle 


888  CHRISTIAN    COXVEN'TIOX. 

voice  of  Jesus  saying:  'Come  unto  me  all  ye  that  labor  and  are 
heavy  laden  and  I  will  give  you  rest.'  Let  the  weary  find  rest  here 
to-night.  May  those  that  have  been  cast  down  for  months  and 
years,  may  they  cast  their  burdens  on  Christ  just  now^,  and  may 
there  come  sweet  peace  and  rest  to  their  weary  souls.  Oh,  Son  of 
God,  pass  this  way  to-night.  Go  through  this  congregation,  and 
while  we  are  pnving  and  the  silent  prayers  are  going  up  from 
many,  may  the  dew  of  heaven  come  upon  the  congregation  and 
may  the  powers  of  the  w^orld  to  come  fall  upon  us  just  now.  Make 
this  place  aw^fully  solemn.  May  we  hear  Thy  voice,  and  now, 
while  the  voice  of  man  is  hushed,  may  the  voice  of  God  be  heard. 

Speak,  Lord,  to  every  heart,  and  to  every  conscience.  May  the 
deaf  hear  Thy  voice  and  may  the  blind  to-night  see  Christ  as  they 
never  have  seen  Him  before.  Oh,  God,  do  this  for  Thy  Sonship, 
and  now  wdiile  we  are  waiting  on  Thee  silently,  wilt  Thou  speak, 
and  mav  manv  hear  Thee  saying,  "Behold,  I  stand  at  the  door  and 
knock;  if  any  man  hear  my  voice  and  open  the  door  I  will  go  in  to 
him,  and  sup  with  him  and  he  with  me."  Jesus,  Master,  come  unto 
all  our  hearts.  Oh,  we  invite  Thee  to  come,  and  may  the  proud 
heart  to-night  yield.  Help  us  to  unlock  the  door.  Help  us  to  un- 
bolt it.  Help  us  to  open  it  and  give  Thee  a  royal  welcome.  Oh, 
blessed  Master,  just  now  deliver  the  captive.  Help  these  men  to 
give  up  their  besetting  sin.  Help  these  men  to  turn  to  right  from 
every  sin  and  to  bf'  wholly  Thine;  and  may  there  be  an  influence 
go  forth  from  this  meeting  that  shall  make  glad  the  city  of  our 
God.     Amen. 

At  the  close  of  the  services  in  the  main  hall  a  meeting  of  seekers 
after  the  truth  was  held  in  the  lecture  room,  and  a  large  number 
placed  themselves  in  the  ranks  of  the  army  of  the  Lord." 


FIEST  DAT  OF  THE  COl^T^ENTIOl^. 

The  excellent  report  of  the  proceedings  of  this  memorable  con- 
vention, furnished  daily  by  "The  Inter-Ocean,"  was  fitly  prefaced 
by  the  following  remarks  about  Farwell  Hall  and  the  accessories  of 
the  occasion: 

THE    OPENING. 

Nature  seemea  to  sanction  the  good  work  inaugurated  yester- 
day morning  in  the  fair  opening  of  the  Christian  Convention.  It 
was  veritably  a  "day  of  joy  and  gladness"  beneath  the  bright  sky ; 
it  was  all  this  and  far  more  within  the  walls  of  Farwell  Hall, 
where,  at  9:30  o'clock,  there  had  gathered  between  2,000  and  3,000 
Christian  workers  from  far  and  near,  with  ears  to  hear  and  anxious, 
docile  hearts  to  believe.  At  9  o'clock  they  had  begun  to  throng 
the  large  hall,  that  was  to  be  taxed  to  its  utmost  capacity.  Phrases 
from  the  Scriptures,  intoning  the  spirit  of  the  hour  and  the  conven- 
tion, were  displayed  about  the  edge  of  the  gallery.  They  read, 
"Love  the  Brotherhood,"  "God  Is  Love,"  "Pray  Without  Ceas- 
ing," "Behold  how  good  and  pleasant  it  is  for  brethren  to  dwell  to- 
gether in  unity,"  "Rejoice  evermore,"  "Your  body  is  the  temple  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,"  "That  they  all  may  be  one  as  Thou,  Father,  art 
in  me  and  I  in  Thee,  that  they  also  may  be  one  in  us,  that  the  world 
may  believe  that  Thou  hast  sent  me." 

Upon  the  high  wall  back  of  the  platform  w:is  hung  an  enor- 
mous chart  that  is  well  intended  to  uplift  its  mute  appeal  in  behalf 
of  foreign  missions.  It  depicts  by  means  of  squares,  each  repre- 
senting a  million  of  people,  the  actual  and  relative  numbers  of  man- 
kind, according  to  their  religion.  Its  showing  of  the  prodigious 
discrepancy  existing  between  the  number  of  the  souls  of  Christen- 
dom and  heathendom  can  but  prove  a  standing  text  for  each  hum- 
ble worker  of  the  convention  whose  influence,  however  slight,  goes 
for  good  in  the  slow  and  laborious  process  of  universal  Chris- 
tianization.  The  chart  shows  the  world's  population  to  be  divided 
as  to  their  religion  and  want  of  religion  as  follows:  Protestants, 
116,000,000;  Greek  Church,  8,000,000;  Roman  Catholics,  190,000,- 
000;  Jews,  8,000,000;  Mohammedans,  170,000,000;  heathens,  856,- 
000,000. 

889 


890  CHRISTIAN-    COXVENTION. 

After  the  opening  exercises  of  prayer  and  singing,  the  suhject 
and  the  first  speaker  were  announced  by  Mr.  Moody,  namely: 

Rev.  Dr.  E.  P.  Goodwin,  pastor  of  First  Congregational  Church, 
Chicago. 

"  HOW  CAN  WE  BEST  SECURE  A  PREPARATION  FOR  CHRISt's  WORK." 

Speaking  to  this.  Dr.  Goodwin,  with  that  power  that  has 
secured  him  a  conspicuous  eminence  in  the  Congregational  pulpit, 
said:  Dear  friends,  you  could  not  possibly  be  more  disappointed 
than  I  am  that  it  should  have  been  appointed  to  me  to  have  a  word 
to  say  here  instead  of  the  Ijrother  whose  name  is  upon  the  pro- 
gramme. At  a  late  hour  last  night,  after  an  exhausting  day's  work, 
including  a  trip  to  Graceland  and  work  on  missions,  I  was  told  that 
this  brother  might  be  absent  this  morning,  and  I  would  be  expected 
to  take  his  place,  but  still  when  I  came  here  five  minutes  ago,  I 
hoped  that  some  other  arrangement  might  have  been  made  to 
relieve  me.  But  I  should  be  sorry  not  to  respond  to  my  duty  to  do 
all  that  I  can  do,  especially  after  so  long  an  absence  trom  the  city, 
and  after  so  great  gladness  has  been  put  into  my  heart  on  my  return 
by  seeing  such  a  work  commenced  already  as  this  one  proposed  by 
this  convention;  not  waiting  till  the  mid-winter,  but  going  forward 
thus  early,  as  if  the  Lord's  people  would  say — how  shall  we  best,  in 
these  beautiful  autumn  days,  put  ourselves  in  training  for  doing  this 
great  work  and  for  deserving  great  blessings.  It  seems  to  me  that 
the  Scripture  way  of  putting  the  matter  is  about  this:  That  God  is 
always  prepared,  and  that  there  is  nothing  we  need  to  see  to,  except- 
ing that  the  people  prepare  themselves  the  right  way  for  the 
doing  of  the  work. 

You  find  many  a  passage  in  the  Old  Testament  about  preparing 
the  way  of  the  army;  nothing  about  the  Lord.  But  the  people 
have  sometimes  a  good  deal  to  do  about  getting  ready.  And  chieHy 
of  that  it  might  be  said,  as  the  brother  said,  that  the  first  thing  todt) 
is  to  get  the  hindrances  out  of  the  way,  to  prepare  the  way  of  the 
Lord,  by  gathering  up  the  stones,  as  in  the  old  time  when  prepara- 
tions were  made  for  the  king's  coming — the  highways  swept 
smooth,  the  stones  gathered  up,  and  everything  put  in  readiness 
that  the  great  monarch  could  come  without  delay.  You  will  notice 
this  thought  in  the  Bible.  Let  my  first  suggestion  or  fir'5t  though^ 
then,  be  this:  The  way  the  Lord  will  have  His  people  prepared  for 
His  work  is,  first  of  all,  to  get  a  view  of  Him.  You  will  notice  in 
the  6th  chapter  of  Isaiah  where  one  of  the  Lord's  servants,  in  pre- 
paring for  a  special  work  and  message  looking  between  God  and 
people,  the  first  thing  prominent  is  that  Isaiah  is  not  found  in  a  con- 
vention nor  in  a  circle  of  even  two  or  three,  but  personally  He  is 
alone  with  God.    Dear  friends,  it  seems  primarily  necessary  for  you 


CHRISTIAX    CONVEXTIOX.  891 

and  me  as  workers  to  bear  in  mind  that  the  first  fundamental  con- 
dition of  our  success  and  power  is  that  we  shall  go  alone  with  God. 
These  are  the  days  in  which  God  is  thought  little  of.  These  are 
the  days  in  which  God  is  made  little  of,  in  which  God  is  largely 
cast  out  of  the  thoughts  and  minds  of  men. 

These  are  the  days  of  such  pressure  of  business  and  absorption 
in  worldly  matters  that  men  either  at  home  or  in  the  study  find  little 
time  for  communion  with  God.  I  am  sure  I  speak  the  mind  of  min- 
isters, of  brethren,  when  I  sav  that  it  is  one  of  the  hard  things  of  this 
day  to  be  alone  with  God;  and  I  am  sure  we  shall  fail  in  our  work 
unless  we  get  before  us  the  proper  conception  of  who  God  is;  that 
before  all  else,  over  all  business,  over  all  pleasures,  over  all  home 
life,  over  all  other  sources  that  impress  us,  the  great  conception  that 
is  to  inspire  us,  the  great  fact  that  is  to  rule  us  is  that  we  are  God's 
people,  God's  ministers;  seeking  first  of  all  how  we  may  glorify 
Him.  You  will  find  that  among  all  the  long  list  of  prophets  who 
had  any  special  work  of  revelation,  that  somehow  in  the  very  earliest 
stages  of  it,  the  prophet  is  closeted  with  Him,  like  Abraham,  like 
Gideon  when  the  angel  of  the  Lord  comes  to  him;  like  Elijah. 
Look  at  all  the  prophets.  When  in  the  work  to  which  they  were 
called,  they  were  with  God.  It  was  sometimes  a  month,  not  merely 
an  hour.  It  was  a  closeting  with  God,  like  that  of  Moses  where  he 
bows  down  on  his  face  until  the  fortv  days  and  forty  nights  are  ac- 
complished. Great  things  come  from  praying;  from  finding  out 
God,  from  being  with  God,  from  seeing  God,  from  feeling  as  God 
feels. 

And  the  only  conception,  it  seems  to  me,  we  can  get  from  their 
examples  is  the  consciousness  that  in  us  dwelleth  no  good  thing; 
that  we  need  cleansing  and  purifying.  The  first  conception  of  the 
prophet  is  that  I  am  unclean,  and  he  thought  that  because  he  had 
been  with  God,  he  must  needs  perish;  but  lo!  there  was  cleansing, 
and  he  was  purged  from  his  sins,  and  he  could  go  out  and  declare  his 
message  to  the  people. 

Now,  brethren,  I  am  sure  for  myself,  for  you,  that  in  this  first 
hour,  the  first  thing,  the  supreme  conviction  of  our  hearts  is  that 
God  is  here,  and  the  dearest  wish  of  our  hearts  is  that  we  may 
know  God ;  that  we  may  be  like  God ;  that  we  may  be  filled  with 
the  power  of  God;  then  we  shall  be  put  in  the  wav  of  being  so; 
we  shall  have  made  the  best  preparation,  and,  I  think,  the  best  way 
traced  out  for  doing  work;  work  that  shall  glorify  God  in  these 
coming  days.  Then  will  come  what  our  brother  has  referred  to. 
You  remember  in  the  vScriptures,  God's  people  are  spoken  of  as 
vessels,  as  the  old  vessels  of  the  temple,  down  jeven  to  the  very 
smelters  and  the  articles  of  the  least  significance,  although  sacred 
as  used  in  the  service  of  God. 


892  CHRISTIAN    COXVEXTIOX. 

You  will  find  that  when,  in  Nehemiah's  day,  they  held  great 
gatherings,  perhaps  like  these,  they  read  for_  hours  every  day  the 
hook  of  the  law.  You  will  discover  all  their  names  written  to 
the  solemn  covenant  to  God  that  thev  would  keep  His  law,  obev 
his  commandments,  cleanse  themselves  from  everv  form  of  defile- 
ment, and  from  that  time  be  His  people  and  His  alone.  I  am  sure 
there  is  meaning  in  that.  I  am  sure  that  if  we  are  willing  to  have 
God's  spirit  poured  upon  us  we  shall  be  willing  to  cast  aside  our 
pleasures  and  pride  of  the  flesh.  I  am  sure  if  we  are  willing  to  do 
that,  to  put  all  things  of  the  home  life  and  the  business  life  tempo- 
rarily aside,  and  write  over  all,  this  is  for  the  glory  of  God;  to  take, 
every  man  his  lips,  his  hands,  and  his  feet  into  the  closet,  and  say, 
as  the  old  priest  said,  these  shall  be  kept  for  God,  these  are  for  the 
service  of  God — we  shall  have  for  ourselves  solved  the  question  that 
will  get  its  blessing  of  answer,  for  everv  qualitv,  and  in  everv  home, 
in  every  business  place,  the  power  of  God;  and  the  power  of  God 
will  not  longer  tarry  to  come  upon  us  for  the  salvation  of  souls." 

Mr.  Moody,  a  man  who  never  lets  the  anvil  forget  the  ring  and 
touch  of  the  hammer,  or  the  white  heat  of  the  ductile  iron  dissipate 
itself  and  nothing  shaped,  briskly  rose  and  said,  "Major  Whittle 
will  follow  on  this  question."  Thus  introduced,  this  home  evangel- 
ist, who  has  made  his  campaigns  against  Satan,  and  Southron  as 
well,  addressed  the  audience  in  his  firm,  tuneful,  and  measured  way. 

Major  Whittle  presented  three  questions  which  should  be 
answered.  The  first  was  personal  experience  of  what  conversion  to 
Christ  Avas.  The  second  was  to  study  God's  word,  and  the  third 
was  to  have  faith  in  the  presence  and  power  in  the  spirit  of  God. 

The  speaker,  in  reference  to  the  first  question,  read  from  Paul's 
Epistles,  giving  the  personal  experience  of  the  great  apostle.  We 
were  to  lift  up  Christ  as  a  personal  Savior,  to  be  witnesses  to  what 
we  had  seen  and  heard  and  no  more.  We  could  not  be  \vitnesses  to 
anything  more  than  we  experienced  personally,  and  that  was  all 
that  was  expected.  It  was  no  credit  to  a  man  to  be  converted,  and 
it  was  no  discredit  not  to  be  converted.  There  might  be,  there 
were,  many  persons  in  the  churches  who  had  not  had  this  personal 
experience  that  they  might  stand  as  witnesses  to  a  personal  Savior. 

They  had  never  been  brought  to  a  personal  knowledge,  but 
were  standing  on  the  forms  of  religion.  The  speaker  had  known 
of  ministers  who  had  not  had  this  personal  expei"ience,  and  they 
failed  to  exert  that  converting  power  that  \vas  necessary  to  the 
work.  This  personal  experience  was  the  preparation  we  needed. 
We  were  to  search  our  hearts,  to  drive  out  forms  and  find  a  per- 
sonal Savior.  Then  we  would  find  ourselves  prepared  to  do 
Christ's  work. 

In  the  Gospel  of  John  ^ve  were  commanded  to  search  the  Scrip- 


CT^IXJW 


LI  BR aKY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


CHRISTIAN    CONA'EXTION.  893 

tui'cs.  There  were  three  things  for  which  we  should  search  the 
Scriptures — for  history  and  biography,  for  moral  truth,  and  for 
spiritual  power  Martin  Luther  studied  his  Bible  on  his  knees  for 
years  before  he  was  used  by  the  Lord.  John  Knox  studied  the 
Scriptures  before  he  was  called  to  do  any  work  for  the  Lord.  So 
it  was  with  all  men.  They  could  not  expect  to  be  useful  seryants 
and  called  to  d<j  important  work  for  Christ  until  they  had  studied 
the  Scriptures  that  they  might  find  what  was  His  work. 

We  were  to  be  filled  with  the  spirit.  If  we,  standing  on  re- 
demption ground,  preached  the  word,  that  preaching  ^yould  haye 
the  power  to  conyert.  We  \yere  given  the  promise  of  success. 
God  was  just  as  anxious  to  fulfill  His  promise  to-day  as  He  was  at 
the  Pentecost. 

Praj'er  was  offered  by  the  Rey.  Dr.  Herrick  Johnson  and  hymn 
93  -syas  announced,  Mr.  Moody  requesting  that  it  be  sung  softly,  for 
all  should  remember  it  to  be  a  pi'ayer.  So  in  a  prayerful  key  the 
inyocations  were  uttered,  "  More  holiness  give  me,  more  strivings 
within."  The  opportunity  for  five-minute  talks  on  the  foregoing 
topic  was  then  given  by  Mr.  Moody.  H.  L.  A.  Stevenson  of  Boston, 
by  the  aid  of  illustration  and  anecdote,  showed  that  the  secret  of  a 
hallowed  life  is  found  in  personal  communion  with  God.  The 
growth  and  fruitfulness  of  a  tree  depended  upon  its  unseen  root,  un- 
less the  tree  were  a  Christmas  tree,  which  bore  its  crop  all  outside. 
The  Christian  lives  of  some  men  were  like  the  fruitage  of  Christmas 
trees — hung  uj^on  the  outside. 

"Oh!  happy  day,"  was  then  started  by  Mr.  Sankey,  and  the 
obedient  voices  of  the  many  hundreds  took  up  the  glad  refrain. 

Mr.  Moody  concluded  the  discussion  with  one  of  his  plain  talks, 
striking  home  in  every  sentence.  He  said :  I  once  heard  a  man  say 
he  had  a  very  good  ^vell  with  two  exceptions.  It  would  go  dry  in 
summer  and  freeze  up  in  winter.  There  were  a  good  many  Chris- 
tians like  that  well.  They  are  good  in  spots.  What  we  want  is  an 
even  temperature,  good  for  365  days  in  the  year.  It  is  this  spas- 
modic Christianity  that  is  doing  so  much  against  our  work  to-day. 
They  are  enthusiastic  for  a  time  and  then  they  fall  back  into  the 
cold. 

There  must  be  a  personal  experience  and  an  evenness.  One 
way  to  secure  this  is  to  call  together  all  the  hungry  in  our  churches. 
There  may  not  be  a  dozen  in  any  one  church,  but  let  them  come 
together,  for  it  is  often  in  such  small  meetings  that  we  find  the  rich- 
est results.  We  are  told  that  "Blessed  are  they  that  do  hunger  and 
thirst  for  righteousness,  for  they  shall  be  filled."  When  I  came 
home  from  England  in  May  last  I  found  that  an  old  oak  tree  near 
my  house  was  still  filled  with  the  dead  leaves  of  last  year.  I  tried  to 
pull  the  dead  leaves  off,  but   I  found  that  would   be   a  big  work 


894  CHRISTIAN'    COXVEXTIOX, 

which  I  could  not  hope  to  complete  soon.  One  bright  morning  I 
found  the  leaves  nearly  all  off,  and  the  new  buds  were  putting  out, 
showing  signs  of  the  new  life.  This  new  life,  new  sap,  was  cast- 
ing off  the  old  life.  There  are  a  good  many  old  things  in  our  lives 
that  should  be  cast  off  by  the  new  life.  Let  us  pray  for  this  bless- 
ing. Let  us  pray  for  this  new  life.  Let  the  motive,  however,  be 
pure. 

Too  often  our  motives  are  not  right.  We  want  to  take  up  the 
service  before  we  receive  the  holy  life.  This  is  not  right.  We 
want  the  holy  life  first  Paul  never  said  anything  about  winning- 
souls,  and  is  it  not  strange?  No.  He  was  enthusiastic  for  Christ. 
He  spoke  always  of  knowing  Christ,  and  when  w^e  come  to  know 
Christ  we  may  then  take  up  His  service  and  win  souls. 

There  are  three  ways  of  knowing  persons.  We  know  them  by 
hearsay;  we  know  them  historically.  Another  class  we  know  by 
introduction,  but  we  don't  know  much  about  them.  We  have  heard 
their  names,  but  that  is  all  we  know.  Then  there  are  people  that 
we  know  intimately  and  have  known  them  for  years.  There  are 
men  on  this  platform  that  I  have  known  for  twenty  years,  and  it 
seems  to  me  I  learn  something  more  of  them  each  day  that  I  live. 
There  are  three  ways  of  knowing  Christ. 

Some  people  know  Him  historically,  just  as  they  know  Napoleon 
and  Caesar.  They  know  Him  irom  what  they  have  heard  of  Him. 
These  people  come  into  the  church  because  they  think  it  a  duty,  or 
it  may  advance  them  socially  or  in  their  business.  There  are  others 
who  know  Christ  slightly.  They  talk  and  talk,  but  don't  say  any- 
thing. They  are  as  sounding  brass.  Their  talk  don't  amount  to 
anvthing.  There  are  too  many  in  the  church  w^ho  have  no  testimony 
to  give.  You  can  count  on  your  fingers  those  who  can  give  per- 
sonal testimony  for  Christ.  They  are  like  Lot  in  Sodom.  He  was 
for  many  years  there,  and  said  to  be  an  influential  man,  but  when  it 
came  to  the  test  it  was  shown  that  in  all  tliose  years  this  man  had  not 
converted  one  soul.  He  even  lost  part  of  his  family  in  that  great 
destruction.  There  are  paying  members  in  the  churches,  but  they 
arc  not  praying  members.  The  result  is  that  the  church  has  little 
power  for  Christ. 

The  woman  at  the  well  was  taken  into  immediate  service  by 
Christ,  because  she  could  give  personal  testimony,  and  we  see  that 
she  went  out  and  at  once  turned  the  town  upside  down  almost.  If 
we  run  into  the  field  without  the  Master  we  will  fail.  That  is  the 
reason  we  see  so  many  failures  among  those  that  are  working  for 
God. 

There  followed  a  few  moments  of  silent  prayer,  and  afterwards 
the  audible  petitions  of  two  of  the  brethren  upon  the  platform. 
Again  the  worship  of  song  was  resumed  in   the  <juartet  singing  of 


CI£RISTIAX    COXVENTIOX.  H95 

Messrs.  Sankey  and  McGranahan,  Mrs.  McGranahan,  and  Mrs. 
C'arrington,  the  congregation  participating  in  rendering  two  of  the 
stanzas. 

The  hour — eleven  o'clock — for  the  consideration  of  the  second 
topic,  "  What  are  the  great  hindrances  to  Christ's  kingdom,  and 
how  can  thev  be  removed?"  had  arrived,  and  the  Rev.  Dr.  J.  H. 
Barrows,  pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  Chicago,  allotted 
twenty  minutes  for  his  subject,  was  introduced. 

"the   great   hindrances." 

Rev.  Dr.  J.  H.  Barrows  prefaced  his  remarks  by  saying  that 
others  would  point  out  how  the  hindrances  were  to  be  removed, 
his  dutv  being  to  show  what  they  were.  This  pulpit  orator,  whose 
speech  rung  as  virgin  metal,  proclaimnig  clear,  true  thoughts,  bred 
'mid  the  refinements  of  a  generous  scholarship,  advanced  to  the 
tront  to  hold  his  audience,  saying: 

This  questicjn,  as  it  stands,  is  w'orld  wide,  nay,  wide  as  the 
universe,  for  we  have  scriptural  authority  for  believing  that  some  of 
the  obstacles  and  enemies  of  the  Christian  Church  are  extra- 
mundane.  Paul  wrote  to  the  Ephesians  that  they  were  wrestling 
with  fallen  angels  of  different  orders,  that  they  were  struggling 
against  wicked  spirits  in  high  places. 

Here  are  obstacles  or  foes  that  we  cannot  remove,  and  to  guard 
ourselves  against  which  the  Apostle  urges  to  take  on  the  whole 
armor  of  God,  girdle,  breast-plate;  shoes,  shield,  helmet,  and  sword. 

If  we  consider  merelv  the  hindrances  which  are  earthly  and  sen- 
sual, omitting  those  which  are  devilish,  we  are  brought  face  to  face 
with  a  varietv  of  obstructions,  and  different  observers,  occupying  dif- 
ferent points  of  view,  will  vary  hi  their  judgments  as  to  which  are  the 
most  formidal)le.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Jessup,  of  S}ria,  looks  on  Moham- 
medanism, reaching  from  the  hearts  of  Africa  to  the  heart  of  India; 
Mohammedanism,  with  its  iron  crueltv  and  hardness  of  spirit,  blast- 
ing the  lands  it  controls,  and  blinding  the  minds  that  inherit  its  faith 
as  the  chief  obstacle  to  the  Redeemer's  kingdom.  The  English  mis- 
sionary, toiling  amid  the  260,000,000  of  India,  regards  the  frightful 
system  of  caste,  with  its  immemorial  grip  on  Hindoo  life  from  the 
cradle  to  the  grave — caste  which  is  rooted  in  an  abominable  theology, 
and  in  its  essence  is  the  contradiction  of  the  spirit  of  Christianity,  as 
the  one  mighty  barrier  to  the  regeneration  of  the  most  populous  of 
the  continents.  The  Christian  worker  in  Japan  looks  on  that  empire 
as  the  key  to  the  redemption  of  Asia,  and  finds  his  chief  enemy  in 
the  skeptical,  materialistic  philosophy  which  the  emancipated  Japan- 
ese mind  is  rapidly  imbibing  from  the  translations  of  Renan,  Strauss, 
Spencer,  John  Stuart   Mill,   Paine  and   Ingcrsoll.     The   American 


89G  CHRISTIAN    CONVEXTIOX. 

missionary  in  France,  Austria,  Spain,  and  Italy  regards  the  down- 
fall of  Romanism,  with  its  false  doctrines,  its  corrupt  practices,  and 
its  persecuting  tyranny,  as  the  one  thing  needful  to  the  speedy  tri- 
umph of  the  gospel. 

Joseph  Cook  returns  from  a  tour  of  observation  around  the  globe, 
and  finds  the  chief  obstacle  to  the  progress  of  Christianization  in 
what  he  calls  the  "semi-universalism"  of  the  home  churches,  paralyz- 
ing missionary  enterprise.  Many  a  Christian  pastor  in  America  or 
England  reading  of  $700,000,000  wasted  annually  in  strong  drink 
in  each  of  these  lands,  a  larger  sum  than  the  church  has  expended 
in  foreign  mission  work  for  300  years,  noting  the  demoralization 
which  drunkenness  produces  in  the  great  centers  of  population,  see- 
ing its  alliance  with  all  that  corrupts  and  degrades  our  political  and 
social  life,  many  such  a  pastor  has  come  to  regard  intemperance  as 
the  one  prodigious  hindrance,  the  one  heaven-defying  obstacle  to  the 
kingdom  of  righteousness,  purity,  and  good  will.  If  I  should  put  to 
you  the  question  which  I  am  to  discuss  I  should  get  a  great  variety 
of  answers.  Some  of  you  would  find  the  main  hindrance  to  the 
rapid  advance  of  our  Redeemer's  kingdom  in  the  weakness  of  the 
pulpit,  in  the  decline  of  Sabbath  observance,  in  the  selfish  extrava- 
gance of  church  members,  in  the  wastefulness  of  the  use  of  tobacco, 
in  the  lack  of  that  parental  consecration  which  devoted  the  children 
to  God's  service,  in  the  unwillingness  of  Christians  to  do  personal 
work  for  others,  in  the  church's  comparative  neglect  of  the  great 
masses  of  our  citv  populations,  in  the  dread  of  revivals,  in  the  lack 
of  thorough  Bible  study,  and  so  on.  And  doubtless  every  answer 
thus  far  given  has  truth  in  it,  though  the  truth  may  not  be  one  which 
it  would  greatlv  profit  this  con%'ention  to  consider. 

What  we  need  to  perceive  clearly  and  feel  deeply  is  not  so  much 
the  external  hindrances  as  those  that  are  within  the  church. 

I  once  asked  a  little  company  of  earnest  Christian  workers  what 
was  the  most  frequent  excuse  given  by  impenitent  persons  for  not 
coming  to  Christ,  and  they  unanimously  replied:  '-'The  faults  of 
Christians."  And  if  we  take  an  historical  survey  of  Christianity  we 
must  be  convinced  that  opposition  from  without  has  been  weaker 
than  corruption  within,  that  Hophni  and  Phineas  rioting  in  the  tab- 
ernacle had  dishono'cd  the  Lord  and  defeated  His  hosts  more  than 
the  Philistines  fighting  for  the  ark.  Reading  the  history  of  the 
church,  our  distress  ar.d  sfeame  are  not  so  much  over  the  attacks  of 
cruelty  and  unbelief  as  are  the  lapses  of  false  teachers  of  the  truth, 
priests  turning  piactical  atheists,  right  conduct  disregarded  in  the 
attempt  to  secure  church  conformity,  worldliness  and  sensualism 
creeping  in  among  the  successors  of  the  apostolic  fishermen,  and  of 
Him  who  had  not  where  to  lay  His  head,  wranglings  among  the 
friends  of  truth,  the  church  lowering  its  claims   to   please  secular 


CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION.  897 

power  or  to  capture  the  worldly,  Caesar  consummating  a  diabolical 
marriage  with  the  Lamb's  wife. 

In  those  times  when  the  church  has  been  cold  and  sluggish  and 
self-cenlered  and  oppressive,  the  weapons  of  infidelity  have  been 
forged.  I  have  recently  read  a  remarkable  book  called  "  Under- 
ground Russia,"  written  by  a  Nihilist,  who  describes  the  fearful 
revolutionary  world  that  plots  and  dares  and  dies  beneath  the  throne 
of  the  Czar.  He  narrates  the  ctory  of  the  attack  which  infidel  social- 
ism has  made  on  Russian  institutions. 

The  first  onset  was  on  Christianity,  and  this,  he  says,  was  the 
easiest  citadel  to  capture.  Translations  of  the  leading  works  of 
German  and  English  unbelief  were  scattered  over  the  empire,  and 
Christianity,  as  a  system  of  national  belief,  was  destroyed  in  the 
minds  of  all  cultivated  people.  In  a  land  where  such  things 
could  be  done,  the  Christian  church  mlist  be  in  a  sink  of 
imbecility  and  immorality.  Allied  with  a  tyrannical  govern- 
ment, disgraced  by  the  lives  of  corrupt  priests,  feeding  the  people  on 
the  pictures  of  saints  and  not  the  word  of  God,  the  Russian  church 
had  no  practical  arguments  wherewith  to  meet  its  foe.  The 
triumphs  of  unbelief  to-day  spring  from  precisely  the  same  causes 
w'ith  the  triumphs  ot  the  heathen  over  the  children  of  Israel  in  the 
Arabian  desert,  and  in  the  promised  land,  the  disobedience  and 
faithlessness  of  God's  own  people. 

In  times  of  special  religious  interest,  our  sins,  our  shortcomings, 
our  imperfect  lives  rise  up,  a  mountain  of  offense,  between  many 
men  and  salvation.  They  look  on  us  rather  than  Christ.  It  is  a 
deplorable  fact  that  when  men's  minds  are  turned  toward  the  Lord 
Jesus,  they  are  sometimes  turned  away  by  the  sight  or  knowledge 
of  our  moral  delinquencies.  They  argue  that  If  Christianity  does 
not  make  men  more  upright  In  business,  more  trustworthy  In  their 
promises,  more  generous,  gentle,  humane,  and  courteous,  then  the 
gospel  Is  a  practical  failure. 

I  know  that  God's  grace  gets  hold  occasionally  of  some  crooked 
sticks,  and  they  always  show  thereafter  something-  of  their  natural 
bent.  ''Grace,"  it  has  been  said,  "Is  like  lightning;  when  it  strikes 
a  man  it  follows  the  grain." 

A  coarse-fibred  man  may  be  converted  to  God  and  yet  need  a 
vast  deal  of  pounding  on  the  anvil  of  God's  discipline.  An  Intensely 
selfish  man  may  become  a  Christian  and  always  be  more  distinguished 
for  prudence  than  for  generosity.  A  mean,  crafty,  unscrupulous  man, 
like  Jacob,  may  be  converted  to  God  and  require  a  semi-annual 
reconversion  before  he  is  fitted  for  companionship  with  the  Apostle 
John.  There  Is  need  of  a  vast  deal  of  charity  for  men  who  Inherit 
terrible  constitutional  obliquities  or  violent  passions  that  come  down 
through  a  long  series  of  ungodly  generations.     And  we   must  also 


898  CHRISTIAN'    COXVEXTIOX. 

remember  that  God  does  not  perfect  human  character  immediately. 
But  looking  on  Christian  men  generally  and  on  the  average,  thev 
may  rightfully  be  expected  to  exhibit  a  conspicuously  higher  moral- 
ity than  others.  It  is  not  enough  for  us  to  say  that  when  men  make 
comparisons  they  choose  a  poor  specimen  of  a  Christian,  and  the 
best  specimen  of  an  unbeliever.  It  should  become  plain  to  all  the 
v.'orld  that  the  church  aims  directly,  continuously,  and  with  all 
earnestness  to  make  men  truer,  juster,  purer,  more  helpful,  and 
more  loving  in  everv  human  relationship.  We  must  show  that  we 
lielieve  not  only  in  the  Christ  who  died  on  Calvary  the  atonement 
for  sin,  but  also  in  the  Christ  who,  as  the  teacher  of  righteousness, 
proclaimed  the  sermon  on  the  mount. 

But  the  main  hindrances  to  the  cause  of  Christ  are  not  the  flaring 
sins  which  bring  reproach  on  the  Christian  church.  The  sin  of 
Ananias  and  Sapphir*,  the  sin  of  Peter  in  denying  his  Lord,  the 
sin  of  Judas  in  betraying  his  master,  these  exceptional  transgressions 
Avhich  you  can  put  your  finger  right  on  and  puncture  with  righteous 
indignation  are  not  those  ^vhich  most  grievously  dishonor  Christ. 
The  body  of  Christ  has  received  many  wounds  of  this  sort  which 
have  been  quickly  healed. 

Worse  than  a  wound  is  general  debility,  a  languid,  low-toned 
vitality  such  as  people  complain  of  in  the  spring  of  the  year,  when 
thev  sig-h  for  Peruvian  bark  and  tonic  bitter  drinks.  Malaria  in  the 
church  atmosphere,  breathing  depression  and  inertness  over  the  great 
body  of  believers,  is  often  worse  than  swift  and  terrible  disease  strik- 
ing down  a  few.  When  the  cares  of  this  world  have  choked  the 
word  into  unfruitfulness,  when  a  systematic  avarice  fills  up  the 
routine  of  lives  externally  honorable,  when  luxurious  worldliness  has 
usurped  the  place  of  a  self-denying  other  worldliness  of  mind,  then 
it  is  that  we  cause  the  name  of  Christ  to  be  blasphemed,  then  it  is 
that  the  sound  of  the  Spirit  is  dulled,  then  it  is  that  the  heavenly 
flame  is  most  completely  smothered.  A  Christian  woman  has 
described  God's  work  of  redemption  as  a  fire.  As  soon  as  it  was 
kindled  men  tried  to  stamp  it  out,  but  it  spread  all  the  faster.  Then 
they  tried  to  drown  the  fire  in  rivers  of  blood,  but  the  fire  rose  up 
through  the  blood  in  brighter  splendor  Then  the  engulfing 
waters,  heathenism  and  skepticism,  rolled  over  the  fire  but  the  flame 
was  not  quenched.  At  last  there  came  a  snowstorm,  millions  on 
millions  of  little  cottony  flakes,  fiilling,  falling,  falling,  day  after  day, 
week  after  week,  year  after  year,  on  the  divine  fire,  and  it  ahuost 
went  out.  The  dreadful  quenching  storm  is  the  cold  indifference, 
the  manifold  worldly  cares,  the  delicate  dropping  innumerable  snow- 
flakes  of  earthly  interest  and  distraction,  which  more  than  outward 
persecution  and  unbelief  have  subdued  the  fire  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

A  spiritual,  pure,  self-denying,  consecrated  church,  united  with 


CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION.  899 

Christ  in  His  death  to  sin,  united  to  Christ  in  the  new  and  risen  life 
of  holiness,  united  to  Christ  in  separation  from  the  world,  united  to 
Christ  in  toil  and  suffering  and  hlessed  expectation  is  God's  mighti- 
est force  among  men.  It  was  for  such  a  church  that  Jesus  died,  that 
the  spirit  was  given,  that  the  New  Testament  was  delivered  to  men. 
It  was  for  this  that  God's  saints  have  suffered  persecution  and  mar- 
tyrdom. It  was  for  this  that  in  times  of  corruption  God  has  raised 
up  John  the  Baptists  and  Martin  Luthers.  A  pure  and  Christly 
Church.  Before  such  a  church  unbelief  will  be  stripped  of  half  its 
armory  of  strength.  By  sue!  i  a  church  the  forces  that  attack  heath- 
enism \vill  be  augmented  ten-fold.  Vital  interests  of  benevolence 
will  not  appeal  in  vain  for  adequate  support.  The  great  evils  of  the 
land  will  be  checked,  for  the  church  will  sever  the  chains  which 
have  bound  her  to  much  that  was  iniquitous  and  more  that  was  ques- 
tionable. 

Two  things  ought  right  here  to  be  considered.  One  is  a  fact  of 
history,  the  other  is  a  fact  of  revelation.  The  historical  fact  is  this : 
that  the  external  hindrances  were  never  so  great  as  at  the  beginning. 
The  mountains  that  confronted  the  feeble,  hated,  and  despised  church 
in  Judea  overtop  the  hills  which  lie  before  the  church  of  to-day,  with 
its'powerful  hand  on  the  civilization,  the  riches,  the  science,  the 
commerce,  and  the  learning  of  the  leading  nationalities  of  the  world. 
Our  internal  dangers  may  be  greater  than  those  of  the  infant  church 
that  felt  the  tide  of  love 

"Stream  on  her  from  her  Lord's  yet  recent  grave," 

but  no  such  vast,  complex,  malignant,  and  mighty  external  forces  are 
now  linked  in  unholy  and  seemingly  invincible  alliance  against  the 
gospel  as  at  the  beginning. 

The  fact  of  revelation  is  this:  Omnipotence  is  our  ally.  Back  of 
the  day  of  Pentecost  was  a  divine  command  to  evangelize  the 
nations.  Back  of  this  command  was  a  colossal  "therefore."  Back 
of  this  "therefore"  was  the  declaration  of  Him  whose  hand  built  the 
heavens,  and  had  laid  that  hand  on  the  cross  from  love  to  the  world, 
and  had  smitten  the  might  of  death,  and  was  about  to  ascend  to  the 
throne  of  infinite  majesty.  "All  power  is  given  unto  me  in  heaven 
and  earth."  "Go  ye,  therefore,  and  teach  all  nations,  and,  lo,  I  am 
with  you  always,  even  to  the  end  of  the  world." 

If  the  church  then  is  at  any  time  weak  and  fearful,  and  cries  out 
as  did  Judah  before  Ammon  and  Moab,  "We  have  no  weight  against 
this  great  company,"  it  needs  to  hear  what  the  spirit  of  the  Lord 
said  through  Jahziel,  "The  battle  is  not  yours  but  God's."  During 
the  great  struggle  in  the  British  Parliament  over  West  India  eman- 
cipation. Sir  Thomas  Fowell  Buxton  kept  his  Bible  open  every 
day  at  the  fifteenth  verse  of  the  twentieth  chapter  of  Second  Chron- 


900  CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION. 

icles.  And  it  Avould  be  well  for  the  church  daily  to  read,  "Ee  not 
afraid  nor  discouraged  by  reason  of  this  great  multitude,  for  the 
battle  is  not  yours,  but  God's." 

Therefore,  it  seems  indisputable  that  one  of  the  chief  hindrances 
to  a  more  rapid  spread  of  the  gospel  is  our  failure  to  see  our 
Divine  Leader  as  John  saw  Him — on  the  white  horse,  with  bow  and 
crown,  going  forth  conquering  and  to  conquer.  The  secret  of  the 
church's  power  is  not  in  glittering  ceremonials,  or  vast  machineries, 
or  prosperous  organizations  dra\ving  the  fashionable  crowds, 
though  I  believe  thoroughly  in  Christian  ceremonies,  and  Christian 
machinery,  and  in  endeavoring  to  bring  the  rich  to  Christ  ana  to  His 
church. 

The  secret  of  Christian  power  is  the  alliance  of  our  souls  bv  faith 
with  the  loving  heart  of  Him  who  called  Abraham  from  a  life  among 
idolaters  to  a  life  of  trust  in  Jehovah;  of  Him  who  empowered 
Moses  to  carry  the  burden  of  his  people's  woes  because  he  lived  as 
seeing  the  invisible  God,  of  Him  who  gave  victory  to  Joshua  and  to 
all  ^vho  in  human  weakness  have  leaned  confidently  on  divine 
strength.  There  is  a  doctrine  of  divine  sovereignty  which  has  made 
heroes,  men  of  high  enterprise  and  valorous  achievement,  which  has 
armed  the  sling  of  David  with  might  above  Saul's  or  Goliath's  spear, 
which  made  Elijah  victorious  over  Ahab,  which  gave  to  Paul  and 
Luther  and  Whitfield  a  spiritual  power  that  has  moved  the  nations. 
"VVe  deplore  the  unspiritualitv  of  the  church.  What  do  we  mean  by 
it?  Partly  this — that  Christian  disciples  have,  like  the  unbelieving 
world,  fallen  into  distrust  of  spiritual  forces.  They  believe  in  many- 
things,  in  works  of  charity,  in  intellectual  preaching,  in  boards  of 
benevolence,  in  a  hundred  excellent  things,  but  they  do  not  heartily 
and  practically  believe  that  the  church  is  supported  and  made  effi- 
cient by  supernatural  power,  they  do  not  believe  in  the  Bible  doc- 
trine of  prayer,  and  this  is  resolvable  into  unbelief  in  an  ever-present 
and  almight}'  Lord,  sovereign,  gracious,  and  available  to  all  the  needs 
of  his  church.  Dr.  Fairbairn  relates  in  a  recent  work  the  story  of  "a 
sturdy  Scot,  valiant  in  speech  as  in  deed,"  who  as  English  Embas- 
sador to  the  Couil  of  Prussia  sat  at  the  table  of  Frederick  the  Great, 
then  meditating  a  war  whose  sinews  were  to  be  mainly  formed  of 
English  subsidies.  Round  the  table  sat  French  wdts  of  the  infidel 
sort,  and  they  and  the  king  made  merry  over  decadent  superstitions 
and  the  follies  of  the  ancient  faith.  Suddenly  the  talk  changed  to 
war  and  war's  alarms. 

Said  the  long-silent  Scot:  "England  would,  by  the  help  of  God, 
stand  by  Prussia."  ''Ah!"  said  the  infidel  Frederick,  "I  did  not 
know  that  you  had  an  ally  by  that  name,"  and  the  infidel  wits 
smirked  applause.  "  So  please  your  majestv,"  ^vas  the  quick  retort, 
"He  is  the  only  ally  to  whom  we  do  not  send  subsidies,"     The  out- 


CHRISTIAN'    CONVENTION'.  901 

spoken  faith  of  the  sturdy  Scot  in  the  alHance  of  Jehovah  with 
Christian  England  ilkistrates  the  livine^  faith  in  the  ah-sufficiency  of 
Christ,  which  is  the  secret  of  the  astonishing-  power  which  is  some- 
times ^viclded  by  the  church,  a  faith  which  needs  to  be  quickened  in 
manv  of  our  hearts.  One  remark  only,  in  closing,  as  to  the  method 
of  removing  these  hindrances.  It  is  a  method  \vhich  aims  at  a 
thorough  and  widespread  revival — a  re\ival  from  within  the 
churches,  not  a  general  movement  which  sAveeps  along  outside  the 
great  mass  of  our  members — but  one  which,  beginning,  it  mav  be, 
with  the  pastor's  own  heart,  reaches  into  all  our  Christian  homes. 
Such  a  revival,  coming  from  the  Holy  Spirit,  through  a  simpler  and 
more  direct  preaching  of  Christ,  and  in  answer  to  faithful  and  per- 
sistent praver,  will  sweep  away  the  miserable  obstructions  to  a 
glorious  spiritual  life  in  many  of  our  churches,  will  send  forth  multi- 
tudes to  preach  the  gospel  in  the  streets  of  Chicago  and  the  streets 
of  Asia,  will  cause  new  and  abundant  riches  to  flow  through  the 
channels  of  benevolence,  will  answer  a  thousand  cavils  of  unbelief, 
and  be  a  stream  that  shall  gladden  the  citv  of  our  God. 

At  the  conclusion  of  Dr.  Ban-ows'  address  the  congregation  sang, 
"My  Faith  Looks  Up  to  Thee,"  followed  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mc- 
Granahan,  who  sweetlv  rendered  "  Showers  of  Blessing."  Prayer 
was  then  offered  by  Bishop  Fallows,  and  the  second  speaker,  by 
appointment,  on  the  question  treated  by  Dr.  Barrows  was  introduced. 

Rev.  C.  L.  Goodell,  pastor  of  Cong'l  church,  St.  Louis,  Mo., 
continued  the  discussion,  and  in  a  simple,  direct  way,  forcibly  set 
forth  some  of  the  hindrances  to  Christ's  kingdom,  indicating  at 
the  same  time  how  thev  might  be  removed.  All  the  hindrances, 
he  said,  were  on  the  side  of  Christian  people.  These  hindrances 
•were  cruel  things,  obstacles  In  God's  highway,  and  should  be 
hated.  As  torpedoes  were  placed  in  the  way  of  the  Czar  of  Russia, 
which,  exploding,  killed  him,  so  modern  infidelity  was  planting 
torpedoes  and  waiting  to  see  them  explode,  and  the  church  thus 
overthrown. 

The  first  hindrance  was  a  want  of  honor  for  God's  house  and 
respect  for  His  ordinances.  While  he  loved  the  home,  there  must  not 
be  forgotten  His  love  for  the  gates  of  Zion.  His  house  was  dis- 
honored, and  yet  how  easy  for  all  to  put  such  a  hindrance  away,  and 
the  house  of  God  be  filled.  How  great  the  blessing  that  would  fall 
when  the  old  sentiment  of   loyalty  to  God  was  again  turned. 

A  second  hindrance  was  the  tendency  to  show  and  display  in 
•worship  rather  than  one  to  open  the  fountains  for  the  thirsty  that 
they  might  come  and  drink.  If  there  were  to  be  cast  out  of  God's 
house  all  that  did  not  tend  to  edify  and  save  men,  how  much  would 
go;  but  there  would  be  souls  left  to  take  the  water  and  bread  of 
life  unto  a  new  service.     Stitching  on    this  and  that  beautiful  appa- 


902  CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION. 

ratus  would  not  save  men.  Let  the  word  sweet  and  pure  be  given 
them,  and  instead  of  losing  the  house  and  the  people  there  will  be  a 
gain,  for  where  the  water  is  there  will  the  thirsty  come. 

Another  practical  hindrance,  perhaps  raised  unconsciously,  was 
the  seeking  to  gain  hearers  rather  than  doers,  multitudes  rather  than 
converts.  It  was  one  line  of  policy  to  fill  pews  and  make  things 
grand  so  that  how  many  will  say,  "We've  got  the  right  man  now; 
this  one  will  convert  the  world."  But  there  was  a  line  of  work 
which  tells  over  this  mere  hankering  for  numbers;  it  was  that  in 
which  one  sought  to  convert  to  Christ,  and  shape  the  life  of  the 
church  around  Christ,  seeking  to  bless  and  to  save  men.  Heaven 
sent  forth  such  a  man  and  the  power  was  given  him  to  lead  others. 
Another  hindrance  to  be  removed  was  the  resisting  of  the  spirit 
and  the  grieving  of  the  spirit  of  God.  This  was  constantly  done  by 
all,  for  man  loved  the  world  and  resisted  the  call.  The  power  of 
the  church  went  out,  but  there  was  no  arrow  to  the  mark. 

Another  hindrance  was  the  loss  of  the  first  love.  The  mightiest 
in  the  home  is  the  love  of  husband  and  wife  for  each  other.  They 
love  each  other,  and  will  sit  by  each  other  through  the  year,  bearing 
burdens  for  each  other.  Love  was  strong.  It  was  the  strongest 
thing  in  the  church.  It  was  the  unity  of  the  church.  The  lo^'e  of 
Christ  in  the  early  church  made  it  mightier  than  Ciesar.  It  carried 
it  through  deserts  and  over  mountains. 

What  we  want  in  this  city  is  to  go  back  to  our  first  loves,  and  let 
all  our  being  go  out  to  Christ.  Another  thing  is  faith.  The  word 
was  pronounced  often.  We  wanted  a  practical,  earnest  belief  in 
what  Christ  said.  The  faith  men  were  the  mighty  men.  The 
skeptical  men  were  weak,  and  they  had  never  accomplished  anything 
in  this  world.  It  was  faith  that  helped  Columbus  to  find  out  this 
new  world.  No  skeptic  would  ever  have  accomplished  what  that 
faith  man  accomplished.  The  disciples  were  not  able  to  cast  out  evil 
spirits,  because  of  their  unbelief,  Christ  said.  It  was  the  same  unbe- 
lief that  was  weakening  the  church  to-day.  We  needed  more  faith. 
We  needed  to  bebeve  as  the  church  believed  when  it  went  out  to 
conquer  the  world.  Faith  would  conquer,  and  did  the  church  have 
faith  it  would  conquer.  Prayer  and  faith  and  love  and  righteous- 
ness were  the  powerful  things  in  the  world.  When  we  had  these 
we  need  not  fear  the  sinful  things. 

Dr.  Goodell  had  hardly  finished  when  the  leader,  Mr.  Moody, 
was  on  his  feet  and  talking  a  race  with  the  seconds,  as  though  he 
was  trying  to  make  a  ten-minutes'  speech  in  the  two  minutes  left  of  the 
morning  session.  "One  great  hindrance,"  said  he,  "is  so  much  talk 
about  the  hindrances.  The  less  said  about  hindrances  the  better. 
[Laughter.]  I  have  known  a  great  many  congregations  to  be  dis- 
couraged by  talk  on  the  dark  side.     Wlien  a  man  loses  heart  and 


IIBRAHY 

OF  THE 
^mERSiT^  Of  ,m,^o,3 


D.  L.  MOODY. 


CHRISTIAN'    CON^^EXTIOX.  903 

becomes  discouraged,  he  begins  to  look  on  the  dark  side  and  is  not 
fit  for  God's  service.  You  can't  find  from  Genesis  to  Revehition 
where  God  has  ever  used  a  discouraged  man.  Four  times  he  tells 
Joshua  to  take  courage.  The  moment  that  he  gets  his  eye  oflT  from 
God  he  begins  to  look  at  the  darkness  and  the  walls  of  Jericho,  and 
he  savs,  '•  We  are  not  able  to  go  up  and  possess  the  land."  But  the 
Lamb  is  going  to  prevail.  It  has  become  a  lion.  Let  infidels  talk 
as  thev  will,  Christ  is  going  to  prevail.  I  heard  a  man  in  Boston 
talking  about  the  wickedness — just  as  you  people  have  been  talking 
about  the  wickedness  in  Chicago.  Don't  talk  about  the  wickedness. 
You  can't  convert  it  by  that.  I  said  to  my  Boston  friend  who  was 
so  discouraged,  "  Have  vou  any  doubt  about  the  final  result?"  He 
looked  at  me  a  moment  and  then  said,  "No."  He  had  never 
thought  of  that. 

Well,  Christ  is  going  to  triumph.  Let  us  not  talk  about  dis- 
couragement then.  Let  a  minister  go  into  a  church  and  talk  that 
way  and  he  will  carrv  his  discouragement  into  all  the  pews.  Why, 
don't  vou  remember,  it  is  promised  that  one  shall  chase  a  thousand 
and  two  shall  put  ten  thousand  to  flight.  It  won't  take  long  to  put 
all  our  enemies  to  flight  in  that  way.  When  a  child  is  linked  to 
God  and  heaven  he  is  a  power.  You  remember  what  a  power  old 
Elijah  was  on  Mount  Carmel.  He  was  more  powerful  than  Ahab 
and  all  his  court.  They  were  not  to  be  compared  with  this  one 
righteous  man.  But  the  moment  the  old  man  got  his  eye  off  from 
God  he  was  weak  as  other  men.  When  he  kept  to  his  text  he  was 
strong,  but  when  Queen  Jezebel  sent  to  him  her  threatening  mes- 
sage he  began  to  think  of  it  instead  of  God  and  went  over  and  sat 
under  a  juniper  tree  to  grieve.  Thei^e  are  a  great  many  Christians 
sitting  under  the  juniper  trees  like  the  old  prophet.  What  we  want 
is  courage  and  hope.  Let  us  look  on  the  bright  side.  Let  us 
remember  that  it  was  a  succession  of  victories  from  the  manger  to  the 
the  cross.  The  men  of  that  day,  however,  thought  it  was  a  failure. 
They  thought  it  was  all  dark  when  they  laid  away  the  Lamb  in 
the  tomb,  but  on  the  third  day  tliey  saw  Him  rise  a  lion.  Let  every 
one  of  us  remember  this,  and  that  Chi'ist  is  bound  to  triumph.  Let 
us  look  on  the  bright  side." 

With  hymn  iiS,  by  the  congregation,  the  morning  session  was 
concluded. 

THE  NOON  MEETING. 

But  who  thought  of  leaving?  Few,  indeed.  The  hour  for  the 
noon  praver-meeting  had  arrived,  and  the  announcement  was  duly 
made  bv  Mr.  ?vIoody.  He  bade  the  people  move  into  what  seats 
were  vacated,  and  hymn  334  to  be  sung.  There  really  seemed  no 
decrease  in  attendance.      DuriuGf  the  entire  morning  there  had  been 


904  CHRIST  I  AX    COXVHXTIOX. 

men  standing  in  the  rear  of  the  auditorium,  and  hoth  gentlemen  and 
hidies  had  hunted  out  some  "  coigne  of  vantage  "  on  the  gallery  stairs 
leading  to  what  ma}'  he  called  the  proscenium.  So  the  prayer-meet- 
ing became  a  continuation,  in  the  matter  of  close  attention  and 
interest,  of  the  morning  session  proper.  After  the  hymn  prayer  was 
offered  by  J.  W.  Deane,  the  evangelist,  and  another  hymn  sung. 
Then  Mr.  Moody  addressed  the  people  on  a  theme  befitting  the 
designated  character  of  the  hour.  He  called  the  attention  of  his 
hearers  to  Christ  as  an  e  ;ample  in  prayer,  a  man  of  prayer.  In 
everything  He  did  He  praved.  Again,  His  prayers  were  ver}-  short. 
The  only  one  of  any  length  was  John  xvii.  Christ  spent  one  w^hole 
night  in  prayer  before  the  choosing  of  the  twelve,  and  before  that 
memorable  sermon  on  the  Mount.  He  had  heard  directly  from  the 
Father  in  prayer.  Whv  might  not  man  expect  an  answer  from 
Him? 

Illustrative  of  the  efHcacv  of  pra^-er,  Mr.  Moody  drew  from  the 
experience  of  himself  and  Mr.  Sankev,  and  told  with  increasing  feel- 
ing of  the  efforts  of  the  two  evangelists  when  first  they  appeared  at 
Cambridge  University,  England,  and  set  themselves  the  crucial  work 
of  addressing  the  students,  with  a  view  to  their  conversion.  It  was  a 
Saturday  eve  in  November,  Guv  Fawkes  night.  The  first  attempt 
was  cruelly  discouraging.  The  students  not  only  applauded  the 
hymn,  but  the  prayer,  tinning  the  whole  service  into  ridicule.  So 
it  was  on  the  following  Monday  night,  Wednesday  the  evangelists 
assembled  some  of  the  mothers  of  the  town,  and  there  was  prater. 
Wednesday  night  came,  and  the  university  meeting  was  again  held. 
Under  the  circumstances,  and  beneath  such  criticism  as  they  were 
enduring,  Mr.  Moody  could  preach  with  but  little  fervor,  though  he 
felt  that  the  prayer  would  be  answered.  And  he  asked  if  there  was 
one  young  man  in  the  universlt}'  who  had  the  moral  courage  to  rise 
and  go  to  the  gallery,  where  he  might  be  talked  with  by  the  evan- 
gelist. It  was  an  awful  test,  said  Mr.  ^loodv,  but  at  last  one  arose, 
and  it  seemed  as  if  fifty  more  followed.  From  that  hour  until  they 
left,  the  evangelists  found  more  work  than  they  could  do. 

A  few  days  ago,  in  the  way  of  fruits  of  this  first  trial,  Messrs. 
T^Ioody  and  Sankey  were  asked  to  return  to  Cambridge,  where  they 
now  have  the  pleasure  of  heroes  in  knowing  that  the  good  they  did 
lived  after  them.  And  what  was  the  agency  In  all  this?  Not,  said 
Mr.  Moody,  in  his  own  preaching,  nor  in  the  singing  of  Sankey,  but 
in  prayer.  So,  concluded  ]Mr.  Tvloody,  what  was  wanted  was  to  get 
into  living  communion  with  God  in  prayer.  Let  men  get  together 
and  see  how  c[uick  the  blessing  comes. 

When  !Mr.  jMoody  had  concluded,  Mr.  Sankey  announced  hymn 
356,  "All-seeing,  gracious  Lord,"  and  the  congregation  joined  in 
with  a  hcartv  good  will.      Pravers  were  offered  by  various  members 


CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION.  905 

of  the  congregation,  when,  the  doxology  being  sung  and  the  bene- 
diction pronounced,  the  immense  gathering  filed  slowly  down,  occu- 
pying the  sidewalks  for  blocks  in  every  direction. 

AFTERNOON    SESSION. 

In  the  afternoon  the  hall  began  to  fill  up  an  hour  before  the 
opening  and  even  before  all  were  out  from  the  noon  prayer  meeting. 

Mr.  Sankey  came  in  at  2:15,  and  went  at  once  to  the  organ, 
inviting  the  people  to  pass  the  fifteen  minutes  remaining  before  the 
opening  in  singing  familiar  hymns. 

At  2 130  sharp  Mr.  Moody  stepped  upon  the  platform,  and  at 
once  opened  the  convention  by  announcing  the  hymn,  "I  will  sing 
of  my  Redeemer." 

The  Rev.  Flavel  Bascom  made  the  opening  prayer,  after  which 
the  congregation,  led  by  Mr.  Sankey,  sung,  "Lo!  the  day  of  God 
is  breaking." 

Mr.  Moody  said  that  Dr.  Goodell  had  a  church  of  850  members 
and  he  understood  that  the  pastor  knew  each  one  of  these  personally. 
He  would  like  to  ask  how  he  did  this.  He  understood  that  the 
Doctor  visited  all  his  people,  and  he  would  like  to  ask  how  he  found 
time  to  do  it. 

Dr.  Goodell  answered  that  he  made  it. 

"How  do  you  make  it?"  asked   Mr.  Moody. 

"I  take  the  time  from  other  things.  I  spend  all  my  evenings  in 
\isiting  and  do  not  spend  one  at  home  with  my  good  wife.  I  try  to 
see  some  one." 

"How  many  members  had  you  when  you  took  the  church?" 

"I  had  ninety-two." 

How  many  have  you  now?" 

"Nine  hundred  and  fifty,"  was  the  answer. 

Mr.  IMoody  said  there  was  nothing  like  success,  and  those  pas- 
tors who  were  successful  he  would  like  to  have  them  tell  this  meet- 
ing how  they  succeeded. 

He  then  called  upon  the  Rev.  Mr.  Weston,  of  Peoria,  to  tell  how 
he  managed  his  church. 

Mr.  Weston  said  Mr.  Moody  was  a  good  man  to  ask  questions, 
and  a  better  one  to  answer  them.  He  then  said  we  wanted^ the 
preaching  of  doctrine  and  of  duty.  Preach  that  this  was  a  lost  world, 
that  the  jDCople  were  perishing  on  the  right  and  on  the  left  God 
had  ordained  that  this  world  should  be  saved,  but  He  would  save  it 
only  through  human  mstrumentality.  They  should  preach  to  the 
laymen.  God  had  ordained  that  all  the  members  of  the  church  army 
should  take  part  in  this  work.  There  were  none  so  rich  or  so  cul- 
tured that  they  had  no  responsibility  in  this  matter.  There  were 
none  so  poor  and  so  obscure  that  thev  were  not  responsible.     All 


906  CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION. 

were  responsible,  and  all  were  to  take  part  in  the  work.  They  were 
to  preach  this  to  the  people,  and  not  settle  down  on  a  few  prom- 
inent members  to  do  all  the  work. 

When  the  walls  of  Jerusalem  were  to  be  rebuilt,  every  one  took 
part  and  built  that  portion  of  the  wall  opposite  his  own  door.  It 
was  not  enough  though  to  preach  this,  but  the  minister  must  set  the 
example.  The  people  needed  leaders,  and  the  pastors  were  the  best 
ones  to  lead. 

It  was  not  enough  to  tell  how  to  do  the  work,  but  to  lead  in  the 
work.  If  the  pastor  was  going  to  take  strongholds  of  sin,  he 
should  ask  his  people  to  follow  him. 

Then  there  must  be  organization  if  the  church  was  going  to  do 
anvthing.  The  hit  or  miss  style  would  not  do.  Every  one  work- 
ing as'he  pleased  might  do  in  some  cases,  but  it  was  by  systematic 
work,  thorough  organization,  that  the  work  always  could  be 
depended  upon.  The  church  people  were  surprised  at  the  success 
of  the  politicians  who  were  able  to  move  the  whole  country.  It 
was  because  the  politicians  were  organized,  and  when  they  struck  a 
key  note  the  whole  people  heard.  God's  people  must  be  as  wise  as 
the  world's  people,  and  then  they  would  be  as  successful.  In 
organizing  church  works  there  must  be  a  place  made  for  every 
man,  and  every  man  fitted  to  a  place  in  which  he  could  work.  Let 
each  class  work  where  best  fitted. 

In  his  church  Mr.  Weston  said  he  had  four  classes.  He  had  the 
little  boys  of  the  church  work  in  one  department,  the  young  ladies 
in  another,  the  young  men  in  another,  and  the  married  ladies  in  the 
fourth. 

Dr.  Goodwin  asked  Mr.  Weston  what  proportion  of  his  church 
he  succeeded  in  bringing  into  the  work  by  this  plan. 

Mr.  Weston  answered  that  the  proportion  varied  with  different 
times  in  the  year,  but  on  an  average  he  believed  he  had  fully  one- 
half  at  work.  At  certain  seasons,  as  now,  the  opening  of  the  year, 
when  they  were  preparing  the  winter's  work,  the  proportion  was 
somewhat  larger.  But  he  did  not  always  use  the  same  plan  in  get- 
ting his  people  to  w^ork.  One  plan  would  do  for  one  year  and  the 
next  year  they  would  need  an  entirely  difierent  plan.  He  changed 
his  plan  of  work  every  year. 

It  was  asked  what  Mr.  Weston  did  with  his  married  men.  He 
answered  that  the  majority  of  the  men  of  his  church  were  railroad 
men,  and  they  had  to  work  day  and  night,  Sundays  included  He 
could  not  very  well  put  them  into  harness.  But  they  worked  in  the 
young^men's  dass.  He  had  Soo  members,  and  had  built  it  up  from 
a  small  mission. 

Mr.  Moody  here  took  up  the  discussion. 

He  spoke  of  a  gentleman  in  New  York  who  had  been  inquiring 


CHRISTIAX    CONVENTION.  907 

about  Mr.  Weston's  church.  A  man  in  New  York  had  died  and 
left  about  $1,250,000  for  this  good  friend  to  invest  where  it  would 
do  the  most  good  for  Christianity.  He  was  looking  out  for  the 
good  places. 

This  was  the  most  vital  question  that  \vould  come  before  the 
convention.  Thev  wanted  pi^actical  men  and  women  in  the 
churches.  Thev  did  not  want  any  sleeping  members.  In  England 
silent  partners  were  called  sleeping  partners.  There  were  a  good 
many  people  who  had  an  idea  that  the  Lord  wanted  sleeping  partners. 

In  London  thei'e  was  a  church  called  the  Church  of  Ease.  A 
good  many  people  thought  the  churches  were  all  places  of  ease. 
They  were  not.  We  had  an  eternity  in  which  to  rest.  We  should 
work  while  here.  We  needed  leadei's.  It  was  said  that  Csesar's 
success  ^vas  in  saying  "come"  instead  of  "go." 

Mr.  Moody  had  twelve  propositions  to  lay  down. 

First,  let  the  church  lay  out  its  work. 

The  second  field  of  labor  was  to  let  those  who  were  competent 
go  into  the  Sabbath  School. 

The  third  was  to  secure  for  leaders  in  church  work  those  who 
were  leaders  in  society. 

Fourth — They  should  get  all  the  music  possible  into  the  church, 
and  get  all  the  singers  into  the  choir.  Let  them  sing  the  best  they 
could;  do  not  quarrel  with  them  if  that  is  not  very  good.  Mr. 
Moody  said  he  could  not  sing  much,  but  when  he  sang  the  best  he 
could  that  was  as  much  as  Mr.  Sankey  could  do.  Singing  was  a 
great  power  in  the  church.  The  Methodists  had  sung  the  gospel 
clear  round  the  world  in  a  few  years.  They  should  get  the  lay 
element  to  work  and  get  them  to  sing.  Get  five  hundred  in  the  choir 
if  that  many  wanted  to  sing,  for  their  preacher  would  have  a  good 
congregation  in  the  choir  if  no  place  else.  Let  all  join  who  wished. 
If  thev  did  not  sing  in  time  let  them  sing  the  b'^st  they  could,  and 
get  them  to  sing  from  the  heart.  Mr.  bloody  did  not  know  any- 
thing about  time,  but  he  could  tell  when  people  sung  from  the  heart. 
With  good  music  the  preachers  would  preach  better.  About  one 
out  of  twenty  in  the  churches  were  fond  of  fine  music,  but  the  other 
nineteen  were  not,  and  he  would  advise  that  the  one  be  allowed  to 
look  out  for  himself,  while  the  churches  looked  after  the  nineteen. 

He  told  a  story  of  two  doctors,  one  of  whom  was  better  in  his 
studies,  but  the  other  was  more  successful  in  practice.  The  student 
wanted  to  know  the  reason  for  the  other's  success,  and  he  replied 
that  only  one  in  twenty  people  stopped  to  think.  The  student  was 
after  the  one,  the  other  got  the  nineteen.  One  went  for  cla^s,  and 
the  other  got  the  patients.  The  preacher  should  not  be  always 
looking  after  the  cultured,  the  educated,  the  people  of  influence. 
Let  him  look  after  the  people. 


908  CHRISTIAN    COXA'EXTIOX. 

Fifth — The  non-church  goers  should  be  looked  after.  There 
should  be  a  record  kept  of  such  people  in  the  parishes.  Have  them 
visited  often,  and  after  awhile  they  would  go  to  church  to  get  rid  of 
the  visitors.  The  idea  that  we  should  open  the  churches  and  invite 
the  people  to  come  was  not  the  idea  of  the  Gospel.  That  was  to  go 
out  and  bring  the  people  in.  We  were  to  be  seekers.  Mr.  Moody 
would  have  a  committee  to  visit  the  non-church  goers.  The  minis- 
ter should  look  to  it  and  have  peojDle  in  the  church  who  did  not 
want  strangers  in' their  pews,  fill  them  up  with  their  friends.  The 
pews  should  be  full,  and  if  the  pew-holders  did  not  fill  them,  let  the 
ushers  do  it. 

He  then  told  several  incidents  showing  how  church  people  often 
drove  strangers  from  their  churches  by  coldness  and  a  lack  of  interest 
in  them. 

There  should  be  a  committee  to  visit  the  sick.  It  was  folly  to 
talk  about  <-he  minister  being  the  best  person  to  visit  the  sick.  The 
speaker  said  he  would  rather  go  almost  an}-  pjace  than  to  a  sick 
room.  He  never  had  been  sick  in  his  life,  except  sea-sick,  and  he 
did  not  know  how  to  sympathize  with  sick  people.  He  wanted 
those  who  knew  what  sickness  was  to  do  this  work,  for  none  would 
know  better  how  to  express  sympathy  and  give  comfort.  He  would 
also  have  a  mothers' committee.  Not  one  minister  in  one  hundred 
could  talk  to  young  mothers  and  give  them  advice.  The  ministers 
could  not  rear  their  own  children.  To  talk  to  the  young  mothers 
he  wanted  the  godly  mothers  who  had  reared  families.  We  wanted 
to  make  these  young  mothers  practical.  He  would  also  have  a  com- 
mittee of  the  best  and  pleasantest  people  in  the;  church  to  meet  stran- 
gers when  thev  went  to  the  service,  and  show  them  the  best  pews. 

Mr.  Spurgeon  gave  up  the  best  pews  in  his  tabernacle  to  stran- 
gers, and  for  that  reason  his  church  was  popular  and  he  had  a  great 
field.  We  should  not  think  too  little  of  other  men's  talents,  and 
think  they  could  not  do  anything.  Every  man  could  do  something. 
Everv  one  had  a  talent  for  something. 

He  told  the  story  of  a  Swede  who  could  not  speak  English  who 
asked  to  be  set  to  work  in  the  meetings  held  in  Farwell  Hall  sev- 
eral years  ago,  Mr,  Moody  had  not  known  what  to  do  with  the 
man,  but  at  last  sent  him  out  on  the  corner  of  Clark  and  Madison 
streets  to  give  out  bills.  The  man  had  a  sweet  face  and  it  was 
always  beaming  wath  smiles.  He  could  not  understand  English  and 
he  staid  there  giving  to  every  man  that  passed  a  bill.  Sometimes  a 
passer-by  would  curse  him,  but  the  poor  Swede  did  not  know  but  it 
was  a  "God  bless  you,"  and  sounded  sweeter  than  ever. 

In  Edinburgh  the  ladies  of  the  churches  went  down  into  the  poor 
district  and  took  charge  of  the  babies  of  the  mothers  there  while 
thev  came  to  his  services. 


CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION.  909 

If  there  was  any  class  of  people  he  sympathized  with  it  was 
these  mothers  with  large  families,  deprived  from  all  outside  com- 
forts. He  hoped  the  time  would  come  when  mothers  would  be 
invited  to  bring  their  babies  to  church. 

This  proposition  seemed  to  be  understood  by  a  little  one  in  the 
rear  of  the  hall,  for  it  set  up  a  cry  that  would  have  discouraged  any 
speaker  but  Moodv. 

The  audience  laughed  at  the  incident.  Mr.  Moody  was  not  in 
the  least  disconcerted,  but  said : 

I  like  to  hear  babies  cry.  One  of  the  best  things  I  ever  saw 
was  a  big,  strapping  fellow  trying  to  lull  a  crying  baby  to  sleep 
while  its  mother  was  in  the  inquiry-room.  The  babe  had  been  cry- 
ing and  the  mother  was  almost  distracted.  The  young  man  watched 
her  for  awhile  and  then  said:  "You  go  into  the  inquiry-room  and 
let  me  take  care  of  the  baby."  And  he  took  the  child  in  his  arms 
while  S,ooo  people  looked  on  and  strode  up  and  down  the  aisle  with 
it  while  it  cried.  If  they  do  cry  it  won't  drive  me  from  the  pulpit, 
nor  do  I  want  it  to  drive  the  mothers  from  the  meeting.  If  the 
child  cries  aloud  I  can  speak  louder. 

ISIr.  Moody  lifted  his  voice  a  pitch  higher,  while  the  baby  in  the 
rear  of  the  hall,  which  had  continued  to  cry,  raised  its  little  voice  until 
it  was  almost  a  match  for  that  of  the  speaker,  and  the  audience 
again  laughed.  Mr.  Moody,  proceeding,  said  he  was  preaching  in 
London  once  when  a  ferryman  came  to  the  meeting,  who  was 
allowed  to  do  so  by  one  of  the  wealthy  men  of  the  church  running 
the  ferry  during  his  absence.  Another  way  to  interest  the  people 
was  to  invite  the  church-goers  to  call  upon  the  non-church  goers. 
It  would  benefit  both. 

The  topic  of  the  afternoon  was: 

"  HOW    TO    INTEREST    THE    LAY    ELEMENT    OF    OUR    CHURCHES." 

The  discussion  was  opened  by  the  Rev.  C.  L.  Goodell,  D.  D.,  of 
St.  Louis,  with  the  following  address: 

The  purpose  of  this  convention  seems  to  be  not  to  discuss  new 
truths,  but  practical  truths;  to  stir  the  movements  of  old  creeds  in 
Zion,that  they  may  bring  forth  old  churches  to  better  service.  Truths 
are  very  simple,  and  yet  to  handle  them  so  as  to  bring  practical 
results  requires  great  skill  and  devotion  of  heart  and  spirituality  of 
life.  To  pick  up  the  doctrines  that  we  have  heard  and  apply  and 
connect  them  so  as  to  make  it  better  is  no  slight  thing.  God  only 
can  help  us  to  do  it;  and  the  application  of  these  truths  and  princi- 
ples, that  seem  so  commonplace  because  we  have  heard  them  so 
much,  is  the  question  we  have  before  us. 

How  to  set  to  work  the  lay  elements  in  our  church  is  a  very 
practical  and  important  question.     It  may  be  divided   into   two  sec- 


910  CHRISTIAX    CONVEXTION. 

tions.     First,  the  doctrines  that  incite  to  effort;  second,  the  methods 
by  which  it  is  to  be  directed. 

To  consider  first  the  doctrines  that  incite  to  effort.  In  a  cold, 
dead  time  in  the  Church  of  Enghmd,  when  the  hearts  of  people 
wei-e  spiritually  dead,  in  the  diocese  of  Winchester,  a  powerful 
preacher  was  set  to  stir  the  clergy.  From  all  over  the  diocese 
they  came  together  to  hear  him.  He  announced  his  subject  as 
"  The  existence  of  God."  "  Why,"  they  said,  "  that  will  not  quicken 
our  hearts,  I  supposed  he  had  brought  to  us  some  new  truths,  some 
truths  that  would  startle  us."  But  the  outcome  of  the  service  was 
this;  he  said:  "If  God  does  exist.  His  threatenings  are  true,  His 
promises  are  true,  and  anything  revealed  concerning  Him  is  true, 
and  they  are  burning  truths.  We  must  preparq  to  meet  our  God  in 
all  our  shortcomings.     Prepare  now  to  meet  thy  God." 

The  sermon  broke  up  the  spiritual  lethargy  of  his  hearers,  and 
they  went  to  their  homes  and  worked  powerfully.  That  sermon 
sent  them  home  to  w^ork,  sent  every  man  into  his  vineyard  with  his 
spade.  Now,  so  must  we  do  as  ministers  and  Christian  workers 
to-day.  If  we  would  set  the  people  to  work,  speak  of  the  Lord 
Jesus',  speak  of  His  wondrous  love,  of  His  great  sacrifices,  of  His 
saving  cross,  of  His  righteousness,  of  His  truth.  Preach  Christ. 
There  is  no  truth  under  heaven  so  fit  to  stir  the  heart;  there  is  no 
truth  so  fit  to  interest  a  true  man,  year  after  year.  Nothing  is 
better  than  to  listen  to  the  preaching  of  Christ  from  the  uplifting 
on  the  cross  to  the  wonderful  story  of  His  love.  The  old,  old 
story!     It  will  stir  the  heart  to  service. 

It  will  inspire  all  the  finest  qualities  of  the  heart  to  work.  So 
the  minister  who  wants  to  draw  the  people  to  work  and  stir  the  soil 
in  the  vineyard  and  make  every  tree  fruitful — let  him  begin  with 
Christ;  let  him  preach  Christ  and  Him  crucified  until  all  the  people 
see  the  cloven  side  and  grasp  the  bruised  head.  The  person 
loving  Him  the  most  will  do  the  most  in  His  vineyard.  The  per- 
son whose  soul  is  most  faithfully  imprinted  with  the  worth  of  His 
sacrifice,  is  the  person  who  will  be  best,  in  and  out  of  season,  in 
drawing  souls  to  His  feet.  And  the  minister  and  worker  who 
keeps  nearest  to  him  will  bring  others  nearest  to  Him.  And  the 
man  who  does  most  in  leading  will  do  the  same  for  himself.  How 
essential  is  it  that  we  preach  the  word  baptized  in  the  blood  of  the 
cross;  vitalized  and  made  pure  by  the  Holy  Spirit. 

A  thousand  things  may  be  preached  full  of  novelty  and  attrac- 
tion; but  soon  they  go  out,  and  leave  the  whole  a  desert.  But  he 
who  preaches  Christ  and  Him  alone,  and  sets  forth  the  words  of 
redemption,  is  the  one  who  will  succeed.  His  work  will  be  hal- 
lowed by  the  Lord.  Now  we  have  tried  to  do  this.  We  have 
sought  to  preach    Christ,  and  to  set  forth  His  truth.     But  we  must 


CHRISTIAN    COXA'ENTION.  911 

be  near  Him  at  first.  Wc  must  be  warm  in  his  doctrine  of  j^race 
and  love  and  mercy.  We  spoke  this  morning  of  the  liiiuh^ances  to 
the  spirit  of  the  kingdom  of  God. 

In  every  heart  is  the  want  of  grace.  Christ's  words  on  tender 
and  melting  souls  melt  under  the  power  of  Christ's  love.  For  that 
person  who  seeks  that  power  every  hindrance  is  overcome,  and 
there  is  no  obstacle  to  that  believer.  He  sees  Christ.  He  sees  the 
power  of  God  and  the  wisdom  of  God  unto  salvation  to  every  one 
that  believes  in  Him.  Now,  it  is  the  preaching  of  great  truths  that 
makes  great  preachers.  This  it  is  that  makes  great  men;  great 
churches,  powerful  churches.  This  it  is  that  makes  institutions; 
that  places  great  eras  in  Christian  history. 

What  brought  the  Puritans  to  plant  the  Word  of  God  in  this 
country?  What  brought  them  here  but  to  unite  together  in  wor- 
shipping God?  What  has  taken  missionaries  around  the  globe,  car- 
rving  the  cross  far  and  near?  It  is  the  shining  cross  in  their  own 
hearts.  Having  tasted  Christ's  love  they  carry  it  to  others;  having 
known  His  salvation  themselves,  they  are  anxious  to  deliver  the 
message  of  redemption  around  the  globe.  Now  nothing  but  this 
will  accomplish  this  great  thing.  Men  are  not  sent  as  ministers  to 
please  the  public.  The  church  is  not  a  cow  to  be  milked  for  them. 
They  will  not  get  any  cream  if  they  do.  They  are  not  sheep  to  be 
shorn  of  their  wool.  If  they  try  it  they  will  only  get  bristles.  It  is 
not  more  respectable  to  preach  the  gospel  than  to  plant  corn.  It  is 
not  that.  That  style  of  Christian  worker  never  will  move  the  Chris- 
tian world.  It  must  be  Christ's  great  doctrine  of  salvation,  the 
truths  as  they  are  in  Him,  that  must  be  preached.  And  a  man  to  be 
powerful  must  be  nearer  to  Christ  than  his  hearers  if  he  would  lead 
his  church  nearer  to  him. 

A  celebrated  divine  of  England  said  to  be  otherwise  was  like  a 
man  meeting  another  on  the  side  of  a  mountain ;  both  were  the  same 
height  from  its  top  and  its  base.  But  the  one  was  going  down  to 
the  base  out  of  the  light,  out  of  the  wide-spreading  glories  of  the 
sun,  out  of  the  glory  of  God,  to  the  shades  below.  To  turn  him  was 
no  promise  of  success  in  power.  The  other  man,  though  level  with 
him  at  first,  was  passing  to  the  summit,  when  God  spoke,  when 
God's  word  was  revealed;  passing  to  the  summit,  caring  nothing  for 
sufTering,  caring  only  for  spiritual  power  to  save  souls,  because  he 
had  the  heart  that  loved  Christ's  kingdom.  It  is  going  in  that  suc- 
ceeds, not  coming  out.  The  word  blesses  more  and  more  it  is 
sought,  and  draws  nearer  and  nearer  our  hearts  to  God.  It  quickens 
all  the  community.  These  essentials  are  of  exceedingly  great 
importance. 

If  we  want  power  with  which  to  fill  the  church,  keeping  out  no 
man,  a  great  procession  marching  along  God's  highway  in  truth  and 


812  CHRISTIAN    CONVIiNTION. 

praise,  we  must  be  filled  with  Him  and  speak  for  Him,  and  live  in 
Him.     Now  this  is  the  doctrine. 

If  a  man  preach  this,  and  teach  this,  and  live  this — there  are  the 
elements  of  the  mighty  church,  of  a  powerful,  spiritual  community. 
Such  truths  beget  sons  and  daughters  of  God.  Such  truths  quicken 
and  vitalize  society.  Such  doctrines  build  up,  and  never  pull  down, 
and  where  the  word  of  God  is  so  given  out  with  the  believing  heart, 
a  heart  trusting  in  God,  and  beating  with  the  love  of  God,  there 
will  be  blessing  indeed.  There  will  be  movement.  It  will  be  the 
sti'eam  of  life. 

The  church  will  be  the  river  of  God,  and  as  it  flows  on  it  will 
be  separated  according  to  the  various  conditions  of  all.  Here  into 
prayer  sunrise,  here  into  Sunday  school  work;  in  other  places  accord- 
ing to  the  ability  and  fitness  of  the  people. 

Then  comes  the  question  how  to  utilize  this  power  that  this 
truth  has  awakened,  that  such  doctrines  have  begotten,  that  such 
fullness  and  presence  of  Jesus  in  the  church  has  inspired?  How,  I 
say,  shall  we  utilize  this  power,  and  quicken  and  gather  the  saved 
up,  because  the  soul  that  is  not  set  to  serve  soon  perisheth;  loses  its 
energy;  wastes  its  power.  When  Saul  was  converted  he  asked, 
"Lord,  what  wilt  Thou  have  me  to  do?"  This  is  the  question  of 
every  soul  when  conveited. 

What  will  the  Lord  have  me  to  do?  When  Christ  ascended  to 
heaven.  His  disciples  stood  aro'uid  the  Mount  of  Olives,  and  in  a 
little  time  Christ  sent  an  angel  down  to  stir  them  up— an  angel 
straight  from  His  throne  to  put  them  to  work.  Then  came  the 
Pentecost  and  the  fire;  then  the  zeal  everywhere  working — founding 
churches.  So  the  faithful  pastor,  the  true  preacher,  the  successfid 
Christian  leader,  will  be  careful  to  take  all  this  fire  and  intelligence 
and  love  and  devotion,  and  turn  ofl["into  channels  of  usefulness  and 
high  Christian  endeavor.  Now  what  profits  it  if  you  melt  the  one 
in  a  furnace  and  do  not  draw  it  off,  but  simply  go  again  the  next  day 
and  melt  it,  and  again  do  not  drav/  it  ofT,  but  let  it  cool  in  the  fur- 
nace? And  yet  how  much  just  such  work  is  done  like  this.  Men 
go  to  prayer-meeting  and  associate  together  and  rejoice.  They  do 
not  go  next  day  to  see  a  sick  brother,  to  look  up  a  wandering 
Sunday-school  scholar;  do  not  go  to  work  among  their  own  children, 
but  simply  continue  in  the  old  way  until  next  meeting,  and  then  heat 
the  ore  over  again.  This  is  barrenness.  The  ore  is  soon  burnt  and 
spoiled.  The  pastor  should  be  a  wise  master-builder.  You  must 
send  out  the  runner,  the  swift  of  foot,  throughout  the  parish, 
throughout  the  community,  as  a  flame  of  fire  that  will  send  hearts 
that  have  been  Jcindled,  to  your  church;  to  your  Sunday  services 
and  your  week  night  services. 

How   do   you   get  water   to   the   family  across  the  way?     The 


CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION.  913 

water  will  never  leap  from  the  river  to  the  house.  Men  must  lay 
the  pipe.  How  is  a  room  in  a  house  to  be  lit?  A  pipe  must  be  laid 
from  the  gas-meter  to  every  room  in  the  house  you  want  lighted. 
How  are  we  to  bring  this  Gospel  of  Christ  to  those  who  do  not  go 
to  the  meeting  when  the  fire  is  kindled?  By  making  every  person 
take  a  live  coal  and  touching  with  it  the  lips  of  the  other  brethren, 
of  the  child  and  brother  who  go  wandering,  of  the  lost  soul.  In 
my  early  jDarish  there  w\'is  opposite  my  study  a  beautiful  little  home. 
A  fountain  played  before  it;  a  wide  lawn  encircled  it;  shady  trees 
protected  it,  and  a  lovely  household  filled  it.  Day  after  day  I 
prayed  to  God  earnestly  that  His  Spirit  might  come  to  them,  and 
that  they  might  be  saved.  One  day,  standing  there  watching  the 
house — God  had  not  yet  answered  my  prayer,  but  time  was  going 
on — they  seemed  as  far  from  the  water  of  life  as  ever.  Standing 
there  I  saw  the  gas  burning  in  a  rooms  of  the  house.  It  had  been 
"brought"  there.  Water  played  in  the  fountain.  It  had  been 
brought  there  by  patient  effort.  God  spoke  to  me  in  that  thought. 
I  asked  myself,  "How  will  Christ  be  brought  to  them  unless  you 
are  the  conductor?  Go  to  them."  And  that  afternoon  I  went  to 
the  house.  Soon  the  lady  bowed  in  prayer  in  the  parlor,  and  gave 
her  heart  to  the  cross.  .Soon  her  husband  was  led  to  the  Lord,  and 
the  whole  family.  That  was  the  greatest  lesson  that  has  ever  come 
to  me  during  my  ministr}-.  I  said  afterward  that  I  would  lead  the 
living  stream  to  perishing  souls;  and  I  venture  to  say  that  a  thou- 
sand souls  have  been  redeemed  to  the  cross  through  the  providence 
of  Christ. 

And  I  give  the  incident  to-day  as  a  practical  way  in  which  we 
are  to  take  Christ  to  others.  When  I  asked  the  lady  if  she  would 
accept  Christ,  she  said,  "I  will.  I  have  been  hoping  you  would 
come  around  and  see  me  many  a  day  "  How  many  in  our  parishes 
are  waiting  for  the  word!  How  many  are  waiting  for  the  water  of 
life!  How  many  are  waiting  for  the  light  of  life,  and  we  can 
carry  it  if  we  will.  Now,  there  are  a  few  departments  of  special 
work — dependencies  on  the  house  of  God — that  the  pastor  should 
watch  with  great  care  and  prayerf  ulness  and  spiritual  wisdom.  I 
Avish  to  speak  of  the  utilizing  of  some  of  the  special  classes  of 
people  in  a  church,  and  I  commend  the  words  that  I  have  spoken  to 
those  that  shall  hear.  The  remarks  that  I  shall  make  will  seem  to 
some  commonplace.  But  their  carrying  out  is  that  which  fills  the 
church  and  keeps  the  spiritual  fire  burning  on  the  altars  of  God. 

First,  of  all;  keep  the  services  of  the  Lord's  day  open;  keep 
them  warm;  keep  them  full  of  the  love  of  Christ  and  the  power 
of  God.  Keep  your  light  lighted.  Teach  your  family  to  honor 
the  house,  the  Lord,  and  the  day;  teach  them  that  that  is  the  place 
in  which  to  honor  God  and  in  which  to  expect  to  receive  His  special 


914  CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION. 

blessing.  That  old  truth  made  new  by  the  presence  of  the  Holy 
Sph-it  will  fill  our  church;  give  effectiveness  to  our  Sabbath  servi- 
ces; produce  changes  over  the  entire  face  of  society. 

And  the  prayer  meetings  and  the  mid-week  services,  they  have 
a  work  to  carry  on  of  joy  and  sweetness,  to  elevate  the  world.  Let 
the  excellence  of  Carmel  come  there,  and  the  sweetness  and  majesty 
of  Lebanon,  so  that  men  shall  delight  to  go  to  them.  Let  the  Sun- 
day school  life  be  fresh  and  vital.  Let  there  be  an  eye  on  every 
class,  watchfulness  and  care  everywhere.  Let  there  be  Bibles  and 
libraries,  and  maps  and  other  helps,  quickening  in  every  way  the 
efficiency  and  advice.     Do  not  expect  that  this  work  will  take  care 

of  itself.  .    . 

Then  let  there  be  a  missionary  spirit;  let  there  be  a  missionary 
library,  for  the  most  vitalized  Christian  life  is  beyond  the  seas,_in 
foreign  fields.  "  The  home  work  may  have  been  dimmed  for  a  while, 
but  mformation  shows  that  it  was  never  more  powerful  than  now 
in  foreign  fields.  Christianity  here  feels  its  influence.  It  is  under 
its  influence,  and  the  work  for  it,  that  new  light  is  spreading  over  it, 
Let  the  history  of  heroic  missionaries  speak  for  it;  of  great  devotion; 
praise  it.  Let  the  histories  of  this  work  be  put  into  the  hands  of 
every  child,  and  the  maps  of  it  too.  Let  the  spiritual  work  be 
done  from  house  to  house. 

Let  the  parish  be  mapped  out  and  districted,  and  from  all  these 
departments  have  reports  made  to  the  pastor  and  to  each  other  in 
meetings. 

Let  there  be  cottage  meetings  in  the  distant  districts,  in  the  neigh- 
borhoods where  it  is  not  so  easy  to  preach  in.  Let  every  week  be 
held  cottage  evening  meetings.  Those  who  first  slyly  attend  these 
will  soon  become  warm  and  blessed  and  become  regular  attendants 
upon  the  larger  meetings.  Prayer  and  work,  doctrine  and  duty, 
truth  and  light  from  God  carried  in  the  heart  along  every  highway 
and  byway ,"into  every  home,  and  those  that  are  distant  and  cold 
shall  be  warmed,  and  the  parish  shall  be  alive,  and  God  shall  be 
over  all,  and  over  the  parish  there  shall  be  new  births  into  the  king- 
dom of  Heaven. 

"  HOW    FAITH    SPREADS." 

The  next  topic  for  discussion  was  assigned  to  the  able  hands  of 
the  Rev.  S.  J.  McPherson,  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church,  of 

this  citv. 

"  How  Faith  Spreads"  is  plainly  told  in  the  last  words  of  Jesus 
Christ,  recorded  by  Luke.  He  there  instructs  His  disciples  that 
"  repentance  and  remission  of  sins  should  be  preached  in  His  name 
unto  all  the  nations,  beginning  from  Jerusalem.  Ye  are  witnesses 
of  these  things.     And  behold,  I  send  forth  the  promise  of  My  Father 


CHRISTIAN    CONN'ENTION.  915 

upon  you;  but  tarry  ye  in  the  city,  until  ye  be  clothed  with  power 
from  on  high." 

Here  are  at  least  three  fundamental  facts,  i.  The  power  Ity 
which  Christian  faith  spreads  is  "power  from  on  high" — the  ITolv 
Spirit — operating  through  Christ's  regenerated  disciples.  2.  The 
process  of  spreading  it  is  by  gradual  radiation  from  the  vital  center 
of  personal  faith  to  the  world  lying  dead  in  unbelief,  '■•  from  Jerusa- 
lem " — from  Chicago — "' unto  all  the  nations."  3.  The  means  bv 
which  it  is  spread  is  the  Christianized  contagion  of  personal 
influence.  That  is,  before  we  preach  the  gospel  we  must  possess 
the  power;  and  our  immediate  work  must  always  be  with  those 
who  are  next  to  us;  and  after  we  have  ourselves  become  johotographic 
negatives  of  the  living  Christ,  we  must,  under  the  gospel's  own 
light,  imprint  His  image  upon  men  by  actual  contact  with  them.  As 
illustrative  of  this  principle,  notice  a  few  New  Testament  symbols 
— Faith  is  a  leaven.  Beginning  always  in  a  leavened  center,  it  sends 
infectious  power  throughout  a  lifeless  mass  by  touching  every  par- 
ticle of  it  until  the  whole  is  leavened.  Faith  is  a  mustard  seed. 
Within  it  there  is  found,  latent,  the  force  which  slowly  produces  the 
mustard  tree,  "the  greatest  among  herbs."  Its  seed  is  in  itself, 
absorbing  into  its  energies  the  inert  elements. adjacent;  it  mightilv 
assimilates  them  to  its  own  nature. 

Faith  is  living  water  which,  risinji-  out  of  Chris",  its  original 
fountam,  not  only  slakes  eternally  the  thirst  of  e^•ery  receiver,  but 
becomes  in  each  a  new  fountain  springing  up  to  everlasting  life  for 
others.  Faith  makes  Christians  the  salt  of  the  earth  and  the  light 
of  the  world,  because  they  both  possess  Christ-like  character  and 
exert  Christ- like  influence.  .Salt  preserves;  light  creates.  Salt  acts 
from  w'ithin,  by  permeation,  from  atom  to  atom,  seasoning  and  con- 
serving whatever  it  touches;  light  acts  by  diffusion,  from  a  center, 
by  radiation,  illuminating  and  quickening  whatever  it  falls  upon. 
Salt  is  opposed  to  false  profession ;  light  to  useless  possession.  Salt, 
so  long  as  it  retains  its  saltness,  is  forced  bv  its  natural  pungency  to 
preserve;  and  light  is  so  compelled  bv  its  natural  radiance  to  shine 
that  you  cannot  destroy  its  rays  without  destroying  itself.  For  light 
consists  in  shining.  Faith  is  a  baptism  of  fire.  Burning  first  in 
Jesus,  and  then  in  His  followers,  it  sweeps  outward  in  all  directions; 
not  by  leaping  over  long  intervals,  but  inch  by  inch,  each  bit  of 
glowing  heart-fuel  communicating  it  to  the  next;  yet  it  ever  burns 
with  the  divine  energy  of  the  kindling  spark.  Again,  faith  is  a  life. 
It  must  reproduce  itself.  No  lower  force  can  generate  it.  But  it 
will  be  propagated  in  proportion  to  the  energy  existing  in  its  origi- 
nal source  and  to  the  sympathy  of  those  who  transmit  it. 

Faith,  then,  does  not  come  by  chance.  It  is  Jesus  Christ  repro- 
ducing Himself  in  us  and  through  us,  accomplishing   at   every  step 


916  CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION. 

the  nearest  and  most  natural  effect  of  His  power,  and  instantly  con- 
verting each  effect  into  a  new  cause.  It  is  after  this  fashion  that 
faith  has  spread  in  every  period  of  sacred  history.  For  example, 
when  God  would  obtain  a  peculiar  people  among  an  apostate  world, 
He  called  not  a  race,  but  one  man.  To  Abraham  was  the  stupend- 
ous promise  given  that  in  him  should  all  the  families  of  the  earth  be 
blessed.  That  promise  first  awakened  Abraham's  own  faith  and 
made  him  the  personal  friend  of  God;  then  through  Abraham  it 
reached  Sarah  and  Isaac  and  the  patriarchal  household.  Thence 
through  Isaac  and  Jacob  it  descended  to  the  growing  race  of 
Hebrews,  and  thence  through  Jesus  to  mankind — the  individual,  the 
family,  the  nation,  the  world.  These  are  the  stages  in  the  propaga- 
tion of  Old  Testament  fiiith.  The  same  fact  appears  in  the  earthly 
career  of  Jesus.  He  did  not  send  faith  down  out  of  heaven;  He 
brought  it;  He  exemplified  it;  He  died  for  it.  Most  of  His  min- 
istry was  private,  opening  the  fountain  of  rapturous  faith  in  a  few  at 
the  beginning  of  the  stream  of  Christian  history. 

For  thirty  years  He  illustrated  the  new  life  in  the  strange  silence 
and  solitude  of  Nazareth.  Even  in  his  brief  public  ministry  it  was 
rather  the  exception  than  the  rule  for  Him  to  present  his  gospel  to 
promiscuous  assemblies,  as  when  he  fed  the  5,000,  or  preached  on 
the  mount  to  multitudes,  or  made  His  triumphal  entry  into  Jeru- 
salem. The  universal  proclamation  was  rather  reserved  for  a  later 
stage  of  development;  his  personal  ministry  was  mainly  to  "the 
lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel."  He  proceeded  from  the  few  to 
the  many  only  so  rapidly  as  he  could  vitalize  those  nearest  to  Him. 
Hence,  He  revealed  His  divine  power  at  the  wedding  in  Cana,  to 
the  obscure  mourners  in  Nain,  to  one  depraved  woman  at  the  well 
of  Samaria,  among  the  dear  household  of  Bethany,  in  the  wilder- 
ness, by  the  wayside,  and  most  of  all  among  that  select  school  of 
disciples  who  were  to  graduate  as  His  apostles.  These  he  trained 
precept  upon  precept,  line  upon  line,  making  sure  that  they  experi- 
enced the  grace  which  they  were  to  preach,  and  then,  after 
they  had  become  eye-witnesses  to  the  marvelous  events  cul- 
minating in  His  resurrection  and  ear-witnesses  to  the  gospel  revela- 
tions embodied  in  His  own  person,  and,  most  of  all,  heart-witnesses 
to  the  regenerating  powers  summed  up  in  the  gift  of  the  Holy 
Ghost.  He  sent  them  forth  to  communicate  to  others  the  divine 
contagion  which  they  had  caught  from  Himself. 

In  planting  and  training  the  Christian  Church,  His  apostles  con- 
tinued to  follow  the  same  method.  Pentecost  ,was  the  original  mus- 
tard seed,  which  has  grown  into  the  wide-spreading  tree  of  Chris- 
tendom. 

The  risen  Savior's  handful  of  witnesses,  because  they  were  filled 
with  the  Holy   Spirit,  began   to  speak    with  other    tongues    as  the 


CHRISTIAN    COX  VEN  TIOX.  'J  I  7 

spirit  gave  them  utterance,  and  "  the  same  day  there  were  added 
unto  them  about  3,000  souls."  One  touch  of  the  quickened  body  of 
Christ's  followers  began  to  waken  a  dead  world  to  life,  and  "every 
nation  under  heaven"  felt  the  resistless  impulse  of  divine  life.  From 
that  vitalized  center  the  vital  leaven  of  Christ's  grace  was  steadily 
propagated  in  all  directions,  from  atom  to  atom  of  mankind's  huge 
mass,  until  this  leaven  of  the  spirit  was  neutralized  in  the  Roman 
Empire  by  the  poison  of  political  power,  and  the  life  of  faith  was 
s;nothered  in  tne  papacy  by  the  smoke  of  ritualistic  incense  and  of 
grinding  ecclesiastical  machinery.  Faith  declined  because  the  gos- 
pel was  preached  by  Avorldliness  and  ceremonialism  instead  of  con- 
secrated personal  influence.  The  church  became  bloated  and  mori- 
bund;  immorality  honeycombed  her  with  "indulgences;"  the 
"  dark  ages  "  ensued.  Not  until  the  emancipated  monk  of  Erfurt 
lifted  his  face  to  Jesus  Christ,  saying  "  Thou  art  my  righteousness 
but  I  am  Thy  sin,"  did  faith  again  begin  to  spread  among  man- 
kind. 

That  one  man,  Luther,  transformed  by  simjDle  faith,  became  the 
quick  center  of  the  new  world  of  Protestantism.  Like  Wesley,  and 
Edwards,  and  Finney,  and  many  others  great  and  small,  in  our  own 
day,  he  illustrated  afresh  the  true  centrifugal  force  of  Christianitv. 
That  is,  it  spreads  by  the  sole  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit;  it  spreads 
outward  from  a  vitalized  heart  to  dependent  extremities;  and  it 
spreads  gradually,  step  by  step,  by  a  law  of  personal  contact.  With- 
out stopping  to  inquire  why  the  Master  has  preferred  to  propagate 
faith  by  what  we  may  call  this  natural  method  rather  than  by  a  per- 
petual series  of  miracles^  observe  how  it  does  in  fact  spread,  now  in 
concentric  circles  throughout  all  the  spheres  of  Christian  life. 
Beginning  with  the  outermost  ring,  it  operates  thus: 

1.  In  the  foreign  mission  work,  whose  flourishing  periods  have 
always  followed  times  of  special  consecration  in  the  church  at  home. 
For  example,  it  was  characteristic  of  the  second  stage  of  apostolic 
history,  when  Paul  and  his  colleagues  carried  the  gospel  over  the 
Roman  Empire.  In  the  middle  ages  it  languished  because  the 
church  was  stagnant  at  home.  To-day  it  again  sweeps  over  the 
world  in  ever-widening  waves,  because  our  churches  are  recovering 
apostolic  faith  and  zeal. 

2,  It  operates  similarly  in  home  mission  work.  Plymouth 
Rock,  like  the  stone  that  smote  the  image  in  Nebuchadnezzar's 
dream,  has  become  a  great  mountain  and  is  filling  the  nation.  But 
Plymouth  Rock  lay  dead,  the  inert  plaything  of  restless  sea  waves 
for  ages,  until  it  was  made  a  living  stone  by  Puritan  faith  and  prayer. 
So  to-day,  in  proportion  as  the  Church  of  Christ  in  great  centers  of 
population  is  aflame,  like  the  consuming,  unconsumed  burning  bush, 
do  we  see  the  fire  of  the  gospel  glowing  in  the  towns  of  the  frontier. 


918  CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION. 

3.  Faith  spreads  similarly  around  every  local  church.  A 
church's  spiritual  influence  is  in  direct  ratio  to  its  own  faith  and 
fidelity.  It  can  win  its  neighborhood  to  Christ,  not  merely  by  its 
wealth,  or  its  culture,  or  its  social  position,  but  solely  as  these  and 
other  talents  are  inspired  by  vivid  faith  in  Christ  crucified.  That 
Master  says:  "I,  if  I  be  lifted  up,  will  draw  all  men  unto  me." 

4.  But  these  principles  must  operate  specially  in  the  individual 
Christian.  Indeed,  every  general  movement  of  faith  has  been  radi- 
cally nothing  more  than  an  aggregate  of  personal  influences.  The 
Church,  the  body  of  Christ,  is  a  corpse  wntil  it  is  filled  with  His 
spirit,  and  that  spirit  acts  chiefly  through  persons.  It  is  not  so  much 
by  means  as  by  instruments,  not  so  much  by  humanly  organized 
conventions  as  by  their  divinely  awakened  men,  that  faith  in  Christ 
spreads.  Like  begets  like.  The  Christian  bears  fruit  after  his  kind. 
The  believer  propagates  belief.  The  duplicate  of  Christ  multiplies 
Christ  among  men.  "Ye  are  my  witnesses,"  says  the  ascending 
Savior.  As  for  us  Christians,  Christ  is  Christianity ;  so  for  the  world, 
in  a  high  sense,  we  are'  Christianity.  The  only  way,  therefore,  to 
spread  Christianity  is  by  being  genuine  Christians  ourselves,  and 
then  we  can  hardly  help  spreading  it  according  to  our  talents.  It  is, 
of  course,  true  that  in  order  to  be  safe,  in  order  to  be  happy,  in  order 
to  have  peace  with  God  and  with  the  universe,  in  order  to  acquire 
perfect  character,  like  that  of  Christ  we  must  be  Christian. 

But,  further  than  that,  we  must  likewise  be  completely  Christian, 
in  order  to  be  completely  useful.  As  a  labor-saving  device  in  the 
work  of  doing  good,  as  a  matter  of  mere  skill  in  power  to  help 
and  redeem  mankind,  eager  faith  in  Jesus  Christ  is  the  supreme 
thing.  The  best  policy  is  always  the  best  principle,  and  the  best 
principle  is  regeneration  by  God's  spirit.  How  do  we  Christian 
workers  long  to  reach  the  highest  efficiency  in  Christ's  service! 
Yet  it  is,  fundamentally,  but  a  question  of  the  deepest  consecration. 
O,  for  the  gift  to  our  lean  hearts  and  barren  lives  of  that  faith  in 
Christ  by  which  to  educate  the  ignorant  for  eternity,  of  the  love  of 
Christ  to  win  the  wayward  back  to  God,  of  the  power  of  the  living 
Christ  to  save  the  lost,  of  the  self-sacrificing,  of  the  dying  Christ  to 
raise  the  dead  to  immortal  life.  Faith  will  spread  by  me  when  it 
is  no  longer  I  that  live,  but  Christ  that  liveth  in  me.  Let  me,  then, 
have  at  least  the  beatitude  of  gospel  hunger  and  thirst. 
THE  QUESTION  DRAWER. 

The  last  half  hour  of  the  afternoon  session  was  devoted  to  the 
question  drawer.  While  several  hymns  were  sung,  the  question 
box  was  passed  through  the  audience,  and  any  who  pleased  were 
allowed  to  ask  any  question  about  practical  work,  but  Mr.  Moody 
said  no  questions  upon  controverted  or  doctrinal  points  would  be 
recoarnized. 


CHRISTIAN    CON\'KNTION.  919 

The  first  question  the  evangelist  took  from  the  box  was  as  to 
whether  he  \\ould  preach  the  law  or  only  the  love  of  God.  He 
said :  "  The  law  has  its  place.  I  preach  more  law  than  I  did  a  few 
years  ago.  If  a  man  preaches  only  one  side  of  the  Gospel  he  will 
not  have  success.  A  man  wants  to  know  that  he  is  sick  before  he 
want  a  doctor.  He  wants  to  know  that  he  is  a  sinner  before  bee 
will  look  for  the  Savior." 

The  next  question  asked  was:  "What  would  you  do  if  a  person 
were  in  one  of  your  meetings  and  should  give  a  shout?" 

"I  should  let  them  shout  once  or  twice  anvway,  especially  in  a 
union  meeting.  I  have  known  a  great  many  good  meetings  to  be 
broken  up  by  a  few  people  who  thought  they  could  not  be  happy 
without  a  great  deal  of  noise.  Where  there  is  too  much  wind  there 
is  not  much  thought  or  work." 

"What  would  you  do  if  you  were  in  a  church  where  the  best 
members  would  say  that  they  were  overworked  in  obtaining  food 
for  their  families,  and  could  not  work  for  the  Lord?" 

"I  have  never  been  in  such  a  place.  Such  men  you  will  find  are 
not  practical.  They  have  no  system,  I  will  venture  that  such  men 
waste  an  hour  or  two  evei'y  day.  If  they  will  husband  their  time 
they  can  save  many  hours  to  devote  to  the  Lord's  w^ork." 

"Do  you  think  that  the  evangelist  should  belong  to  some  church?" 

"I  do.  That  is  perhaps  a  hit  at  me.  I  do  ])clong  to  a  church, 
and  I  was  kept  out  of  it  for  a  year  because  I  was  not  converted.  I  had 
too  hard  a  time  getting  into  the  church  to  leave  it.  I  am  still  a 
member  of  a  Chicago  church,  I  believe.  I  never  heard  of  my  being 
turned  out.  It  is  the  only  organization  I  care  to  belong  to.  I  have 
no  sympathy  with  the  men  who  stand  outside  and  try  to  tear  down 
the  church.     It  is  easy  to  tear  down.     We  want  to  build  up." 

"What  can  be  done  to  reach  the  non-church-goers?" 

"We  had  that  question  pretty  fully  discussed  this  afternoon. 
Every  man  and  woman  has  his  or  her  work.  When  we  work 
together  the  world  will  be  reached.  But  in  this  country  we  are  fast 
driftmg  like  the  old  country.  In  England,  in  the  manufacturing 
cities,  it  is  said  that  98  per  cent,  of  the  population  never  go  to  the 
house  of  God.  Dr.  Dale,  of  Birmingham,  thinks  this  is  exagger- 
ted.  He  puts  it  at  95  per  cent.  But  even  if  it  be  only  90  per  cent, 
it  is  very  bad.  These  men  gather  in  their  shops  on  Sunday,  or  some 
place  else,  and  talk  communism  or  infidelity.  They  are  not  poor, 
for  they  earn  from  £3  to  £S  a  week.  They  are  hard-hearted  and 
hard-headed  men,  and  the  men  who  uphold  the  cross  in  their  midst 
have  a  hard  time.  Wc  are  drifting  in  the  same  way  in  this  country. 
The  church  should  take  steps  to  reach  these  people.  We  need  a 
band  of  men  and  women  who  will  stand  in  the  gap  between  them 
and  the  churches;  men  and  women  vv'ho  will  take  the  place  of  the 


920  CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION. 

minister  here,  because  these  people  are  prejudiced  against  the  min- 
ister and  will  not  listen  to  him.  These  people  may  be  called  mis- 
sionaries or  what  you  will,  but  we  need  them.  They  must  go  into 
these  cottages  to  meet  these  people  and  t  each  them.  Too  often, 
though,  we  find  men  who  can  do  nothing  else,  who  are  given  this 
work  of  the  Lord  to  do.     We  send  them  out  to  preach. 

What  we  need  is  a  training  school  for  these  people,  that  they 
may  be  taught  and  trained  in  their  work.  I  know  the  need  of  this. 
I  walked  the  streets  of  Chicago  day  after  day,  feeling  that  I  must 
preach,  yet  knowing  that  I  was  not  fitted  for  the  work  and  wanted 
to  learn.  But  I  felt  that  to  give  up  ten  or  twelve  years  to  this  prep- 
aration would  be  a  sin.  Had  there  been  some  place  where  I  could 
have  been  trained  and  allowed  to  study,  while  I  was  at  work  I  could 
have  been  more  successful.      We  need  such  schools. 

Then  the  preacher  needs  another  school  than  that  of  theology. 
He  needs  to  be  trained  in  the  school  of  human  nature.  They  need 
to  rub  up  against  the  world  and  learn  how  to  read  men.  They  fail 
to  get  hold  of  men  for  this  very  reason.  Had  they  been  business 
men  and  learned  something  of  the  world,  or  had  they  been  like 
these  reporters,  seeing  all  sides  of  life,  they  would  have  known 
something  of  the  other  side  and  how  to  approach  men.  We  want 
a  training  school  to  educate  just  such  men  for  this  work.  In  New 
York  the  other  day  I  was  speaking  of  this  to  a  gentleman,  and  he 
said,  all  right,  Mr.  Moody  you  start  such  a  school,  and  here  is 
$5,000  to  help  with  the  work. 

He  made  me  take  it,  and  when  I  came  to  Chicago  another  busi- 
ness man  added  $5,000  to  it,  and  said  start  it  here.  That  is  what  I 
say.  Let  Chicago  have  a  training  school  for  these  men  and 
women,  and  if  there  are  any  more  of  you  gentlemen  and  ladies 
who  want  to  contribute  to  such  a  work,  come  on  with  your  money. 
I  have  been  blamed  for  going  away  from  Chicago;  now  if  you 
want  me  to  return  give  me  some  such  work  to  do.  We  should 
have  200  or  300  men  and  women  at  work  with  the  lower  classes 
of  people  here  in  Chicago.  I  tell  you  it  will  pay.  In  London 
they  have  a  thousand,  and  they  are  men  and  women,  many  of 
them  who  have  not  only  given  their  wealth  but  themselves  to  the 
work.  Some  of  the  ladies  are  wealthy,  yet  they  devote  their  lives 
to  going  about  among  these  people  and  doing  good.  In  this  coun- 
try our  people  are  willing  to  serve  the  Lord  by  proxy.  They  are 
willing  to  spend  their  money,  but  not  to  work.  I  say  to  the  rich 
men  of  Chicago,  their  money  will  not  be  worth  much  if  commun- 
ism and  infidelity  sweep  the  land.  You  had  better  lift  up  these 
men,  and  the  best  ^vay  is  to  take  some  from  their  own  nimiber. 
Some  of  our  brightest  men  are  in  the  billiard  halls.  Let  us  get 
this  thins:  started. 


CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION.  921 

I  should  like  to  have  something  practical  grow  out  of  this  con- 
vention. We  shall  be  here  for  three  clays  and  have  a  glorious 
time,  and  shout  over  it,  and  say  let's  have  another  one  next  year. 
It  will  last  just  for  one  year.  But  is  that  all?  We  can 
do  so  much  more.  We  can  do  something  that  will  be  lasting 
in  its  results.  There  is  no  reason  why  these  people  should  not 
be  reached.  But  you  are  not  going  to  reach  them  by  a  few  sermons. 
The  time  has  come  when  we  will  have  to  go  into  these  people's 
homes  and  work.  The  church  has  been  on  the  defensive  long 
enough.  It  is  time  she  was  beginning  an  aggressive  movement. 
We  have  lawyers  ^vho  are  eloquent  in  their  pleadings  in  the  courts. 
Why  should  they  not  plead  in  other  places  for  these  people?  The 
work  cannot  be  done  by  the  ministers  alone.  We  want  the  lawyers 
and  the  business  men — all  classes  of  men  and  women  to  go  into  the 
work,  but  especially  we  need  a  trained  band  of  laborers  to  reach 
the  lower  classes. 

The  outlying  homes  will  be  reached  quicker  by  this  than  by  the 
preachers.  You  say  these  men  have  not  logic.  No  matter.  Let 
men  preach  for  souls,  not  heads.  If  a  man  has  not  logic  and  cannot 
be  appealed  to  by  reason,  drive  straight  at  his  heart.  I  like  heart- 
preaching  better,  any  way. 

A  few  years  ago  a  gentleman  in  London  invit-ed  me  to  go  down 
to  the  dog  market.  I  asked  him  what  that  was,  and  found  that  it 
was  a  place  where  these  rough  men  congregated  on  Sunday  morn- 
ing, and  if  they  had  anything  to  sell  or  trade  or  bet  on  for  drinks 
they  went  there. 

Well,  we  went  to  the  dog  market,  and  as  I  looked  out  at  them 
it  seemed  there  were  acres  of  men — men  rough  and  cursing,  men 
with  dogs  to  sell  or  to  bet  on  as  fighters;  men  with  fighting  cocks 
betting  on  them.  It  was  one  of  the  queerest  sights  I  ever  saw. 
And  I  was  to-day  to  sjDcak  to  them.  They  paid  no  attention  until 
it  was  announced  that  I  was  an  American.  Then  they  listened  to 
me  for  a  few  moments,  because  they  had  an  idea  that  America  was 
a  sort  of  fairy  land.  But  while  I  spoke  a  man  stood  at  my  side  with 
a  fighting  cock  under  his  arm,  trying  to  hear  what  I  was  saying, 
but  at  the  same  time  looking  out  to  see  if  he  could  find  another  cock 
to  match  his  against  in  a  fight;  and  another  man  jostled  me,  trying 
to  be  a  respectful  listener,  had  a  sharp  lookout  for  a  chance  to  get 
up  a  dog  fight.  And  all  there  were,  if  listening  to  me,  at  the  same 
time  looking  out  for  business  in  some  shape,  and  my  talk  had  no 
effect  on  them.  But  a  blacksmith  was  able  to  interest  them,  and  I 
sav  that  is  what  we  need.  Let  us  use  all  kinds  of  talent.  If  we 
can  put  such  men  into  training  schools,  and  prepare  them  for  teach- 
ing their  fellows,  we  will  do  a  grand  w^ork.  It  is  practical  and  can 
be  carried  out  here  in  Chicago  better  than  in  any  city  in  the  country. 


922  CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION. 

"  What  is  the  best  thing  to  do  with  a  man  who  always  speaks  on 
one  subject?  " 

These  men  are  more  numerous  than  you  think.  They  are  hobby- 
ists. They  do  a  good  deal  of  harm,  too.  They  break  up  many 
good  meetings  by  presenting  their  hobbies  at  the  wrong  time.  If 
a  solemn  impression  has  been  made  they  will  spoil  it  by  presenting 
their  hobby.  I  don't  say  that  these  are  not  good  men,  but  they  do 
much  harm.  I  would  try  to  keep  them  quiet  by  gentle  means,  if 
possible,  but  under  no  consideration  would  I  allow  them  to  go  on. 
If  they  would  not  keep  quiet  for  asking  I  should  make  them.  I 
like  temperance,  but  I  don't  want  to  talk  about  it  all  the  time,  and 
I  like  the  doctrine  of  sanctification,  but  I  don't  want  to  hear  of  that 
and  nothing  else.  It  brings  these  good  old  doctrines  into  disrepute 
such  harping  on  them.  If  I  take  my  watch  to  the  jeweler  and  ask 
to  have  the  balance-wheel  made  double  its  present  size,  I  am  told 
that  it  will  ruin  the  watch,  for  all  the  other  machinery  will  then  be 
out  of  proportion.  Take  any  doctrine  of  the  Bible  and  put  it  above 
every  other  and  it  will  die. 

"How  are  the  foreign  population  to  be  reached?"  Mr.  Moody 
said  it  had  been  his  privilege  to  go  to  Paris  and  see  the  work  of  one 
man  there  who  did  not  understand  the  French  language,  and  for  a 
long  time  had  to  speak  through  an  interpreter.  This  man  had  had 
a  beautiful  home,  which  he  left,  and  himself  and  wife  devoted  them- 
selves to  the  work  of  evangelization  in  Paris.  He  had  worked 
steadily  for  years,  and  now  he  could  speak  a  little  very  bad  French, 
but  he  had  a  hall  larger  than  Farwell  HaH,  Chicago,  which  was 
always  crowded,  and  no  man  in  Paris  could  draw  a  greater  crowd 
to  hear  him  speak  than  this  evangelist.  Mr.  Moody  had  himself 
spoken  to  these  people  through  an  interpreter,  and  he  thought  it 
was  a  terrible  dull  talk,  and  he  wondered  that  the  people  did  not  all 
rush  out  of  the  hall,  but  when  he  got  through  they  remained,  and 
when  he  invited  a  few  to  remain  and  hear  about  how  to  live  a 
Christian  life,  they  all  remained  while  he  preached  another  sermon- 
Then  when  he  invited  those  who  could  to  remain  to  talk'  about  soul 
saving,  they  all  remained,  and  he  could  not  get  them  to  go  home 
until  the  gas  was  turned  off,  and  they  left  in  the  dark.  The  for- 
eigners were  eager  to  hear  the  gospel.  And  here  in  Chicago  we 
did  not  have  to  go  to  France  or  Germany  or  Sweden  to  find  them. 
They  come  to  us,  and  the  best  way  to  reach  the  foreigners  was  to' 
train  those  here  and  send  them  as  teachers  to  their  native 
lands. 

It  was  especially  a  good  time  to  I'evive  the  religion  of  Christ  in 
Germany  this  year,  when  the  400th  anniversary  of  Martin  Luther 
was  to  be  celebrated.  He  then  spoke  of  the  work  of  an  evangelist 
in  Berlin  who  had  been  recognized  by  the  Crown  Prince  and  Prince 


CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION.  923 

Bismarck.     The  doors  of  the  nations  were  opened  to  vis,  and  it  was 
time  to  enter  and  possess. 

"Do  you  think  it  is  best  to  have  steady  work  in  the  church,  or 
revivals?" 

"Both.  Some  people  oppose  revivals  and  preach  against  them, 
and  they  do  a  great  harm.     The  church  was  born  in  a  revival." 

Mr.  Aloody  then  spoke  of  those  people  who  are  always  crying 
out  against  revivalists,  and  evangelists.  He  told  the  story  of  the  man 
who  said  at  a  dinner-table,  when  a  missionary  convert  was  present, 
that  in  all  his  travels  in  Asia  he  had  never  seen  a  native  convert. 
The  missionary  did  not  repl}',  but  after  a  while  asked  if  he  had  ever 
seen  a  tiger  there.  The  man  replied  that  he  had  seen  many,  had 
huated  and  killed  them.  The  missionary's  reply  was  that  he  had 
never  seen  a  tiger  while  abroad.  He  had  been  hunting  for  con- 
verts, and  not  tigers. 

We  could  find  converts  if  we  hunted  for  them,  but  the  converts 
were  not  going  to  come  round  and  ring  the  bell  to  let  us  know  they 
were  converted. 

There  were  several  other  questions  in  the  box,  but  it  was  5 
o'clock,  and  Mr.  Moody  is  prompt  in  closing  as  in  beginning,  and 
announcing  the  doxology,it  was  sung,  and  the  convention  adjourned 
until  8  o'clock. 

EVENING  SESSION. 

If  the  interest  of  the  people  in  the  afternoon  amounted  to  a 
certain  degree  of  absorption,  the  interest  in  the  proceedings  of  the 
evening  was  to  a  still  greater  degree  intensified 

The  exercises  being  opened  in  the  usual  way,  Mr.  Moody 
announced  the  topic  for  discussion,  and  the  first  speaker  of  the 
evening : 

"how  to  reach  habitual  non-church  goers." 

Rev.  Dr.  H.  M.  Scudder,  pastor  of  Plymouth  Congregational 
Church,  Chicago, 

Dr.  Scuttder  said: 

Several  answers  may  be  given  to  this  question.  There  are 
advocates  of  various  schemes.  Some  say  "  Establish  gospel  services 
on  Sunday  evenings  in  halls  and  theatres."  Others  say,  "  Try  to 
reach  destitute  populations  through  mission  schools."  Others  call 
for  street  preaching.  Others  advise  more  extensive  efforts  on  the 
part  of  Young  Men's  Christian  Associations.  And  the  most  recent 
re2Dly  is :  -'  Do  it  by  Salvation  Armies."  I  will  not  enter  upon  the 
consideration  of  any  of  these,  but  will  give  an  answer,  which,  while 
it  interferes  with  none  of  these,  seems  to  me  to  be  one  of  the  most 
important  things  which  can  be  said  in  reply  to  the  question,  viz: 
Make  the  sanctuary  itself  so  attractive  as  to  draw  men  into  it. 


924  CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION. 

Who  shall  do  this?  Not  ministers  alone.  Not  laymen  alone. 
Either  attempting  it  singly  will  fail,  at  least  in  a  measure.  If  both 
heartily  combine,  there  \vill  be  success.  This  Christian  Convention 
consists  of  ministers  and  laymen,  and  I  will  ventvn-e  to  offer  on  this 
subject  a  few  suggestions  to  each. 

What  shall  ministers  do  to  make  the  church  attractive?  In 
treating  this,  my  dear  brethren,  I  hope  you  will  not  think  that  I 
assume  to  be  your  teacher.  I  have  no  such  spirit.  The  directions 
I  give  are  rules  unto  myself.  They  may  be  useful  to  you,  as  I 
know  they  are  to  me. 

There  are  some  things  ministers  should  not  do.  In  order  to 
avoid  stiffness  kindly  allow  me  to  use  the  second  person  in  address- 
ing you. 

1.  Do  not  make  your  sermons  too  doctrinal  in  form.  Do  not 
misunderstand  me.  A  sermon  without  doctrine  is  good  for  noth- 
ing. It  ^vould  be  like  a  body  without  a  backbone  There  must  be 
a  iDackbone  to  give  points  of  attachment  for  the  limbs,  to  suj^port 
the  vital  organs  that  are  clustered  around  it,  and  to  sustain  the 
masses  of  muscles  which  execute  so  many  motions.  But  if  the  body 
were  all  backbone  and  nothing  else,  it  would  not  be  a  very  agree- 
able spectacle.  If  when  you  looked  for  a  body  to  meet  you,  you 
saw  only  a  bare  backbone  approaching,  you  would  run  away  from 
it.  There  must  be  a  backbone,  but  over  it  should  be  the  comely 
vesture  of  ruddy  flesh,  and  at  the  top  of  it  a  living  brain  In  a  ser- 
mon the  doctrine  should  be  clothed,  as  in  the  body  God  has  clothed 
the  backbone. 

2.  Do  not  let  the  sermon  become  a  mere  essay.  It  should  be 
sqmething  other  than  a  pretty,  elaborate,  finical,  symmetrical  essay. 
It  may  be  poetic  and  polished,  artistic  and  aesthetic,  and  quite  beau- 
tiful to  behold,  and  yet  the  people  will  soon  grow  weary  of  such 
preaching. 

3.  Do  not  overweight  your  sermon  with  learning.  Iron  is  the 
most  useful  of  metals,  and  it  is  proper  that  ships  should  carry  it  from 
country  to  country,  to  give  it  universal  currency,  thaf  it  may  be 
applied  to  uses  innumerable.  But  if  you  overload  your  vessel  with 
ii-on  till  it  sinks  to  its  deck,  and  then  spread  your  sails,  and  attempt 
a  voyage,  your  ship,  though  a  good  one,  will  go  to  the  bottom,  iron 
and  all,  and  you  will  be  lucky  if  you  yourself  escape.  Some  ser- 
mons do  not  float,  but  go  down  overfreighted  with  learning. 

Not  that  the  minister  can  have  too  much  learning.  Christ  has 
described  the  New  Testament  minister  as  a  "  scribe  which  is 
instructed  unto  the  kingdom  of  heaven."  The  word  "  scribe  "  had  in 
that  day,  a  very  different  meaning  from  that  which  it  now  has.  It 
meant  a  "  learned  man."  Such  the  minister  should  be.  It  \vould 
be  well  if  he  knew  everything,  and  had  it  at  the  end  of  his  tongue. 


CHRISTIAN    CON^'EN'TIOX.  925 

But  he  must  V)c  wise  in  using  his  learning.  Resuhs  should  appear 
rather  than  processes.  There  should  be  no  parade  of  learning. 
The  sermon  which  merely  carries  a  cargo  of  erudition  is  a  doomed 
ship.  It  will  not  discharge  its  cargo  in  the  port  which  the  author 
of  the  sermon  should  steer  for,  but  on  the  floor  of  the  ocean. 

Avoid  sameness  and  repetitiousness.  We  sometimes  hear  such 
complaints  as  these:  "Oh,  he  has  a  new  text,  but  yet  it  will  be  the 
old  sermon  over  again.  We  have  heard  it  a  hundred  times.  We 
are  tired  of  it."  Our  Lord  says  that  the  minister  must  bring  forth 
"  out  of  his  treasure  things  new  and  old."  He  must  possess  a  treasure 
of  acquisitions,  and  out  of  it  must  come  new  as  well  as  old.  Also 
our  Master  has  said,  "  When  ye  pray  use  not  vain  repetitions."  and 
this  injunction  may  rationally  be  extended  so  as  to  read,  "  When  ye 
preach,  use  not  vain  repetitions." 

Let  us  turn  fr(;m  the  negative  to  the  positive.  What  shall  min- 
isters do  to  make  their  ministrations  attractive? 

I.  Let  there  be  more  expository  preaching.  I  feel  sure  that  there 
is  not  enough  of  this  done.  Make  your  sermon  an  exposition  of 
Holy  Scripture.  I  do  not  mean  that  you  should  take  up  a  chapter 
or  a  pai^agraph  and  explain  it  verse  by  verse,  and  word  by  word. 
What  I  mean  is  this:  Choose  a  chapter  or  a  passage  which  has  im- 
pressed you.  With  a  few  sheets  of  paper  before  you,  sit  down  at 
vour  desk,  and  study^  the  passage  carefully  in  the  original ;  for  if 
possible,  every  man  who  expounds  Scripture  should  know  Hebrew 
and  Greek.  When  I  was  in  the  theological  seminary  I  sat  under 
the  teaching  of  Dr.  Edward  Robinson,  and  a  remark  of  his  has  had 
a  very  potent  influence  upon  my  life  as  a  student. 

He  said,  "Young  gentlemen,  they  who  teach  the  Bible,  should 
be  able  to  read  it  in  the  languages  in  which  the  Holy  Ghost  revealed 
it."  And  if  I  knew  nothing  of  Hebrew  and  Greek  I  would,  on 
going  home  from  this  meeting  to-night,  begin  w'ith  Aleph  and 
Alpha;  and  I  rejoice  in  the  work  that  Professor  Harper  has  been 
doing  in  this  city  this  summer  in  organizing  classes  for  the  reading 
of  Hebrew. 

Open  then  vour  Hebrew  or  Greek  Lexicon  according  as  your 
selected  passage  is  in  the  old  or  New  Testament.  Scrutinize  every 
word;  run  each  word  through  all  its  senses  in  the  lexicon,  and  as 
you  do  this  write  down  every  thought  and  every  illustration  that 
comes  into  your  mind.  Do  not  aim,  m  this  stage  of  your  work,  at 
any  order.  Set  down  every  idea  as  it  arises  in  you.  The  roots  of 
the  Hebrew  and  Greek  words  used  in  the  Bible  are  living  things. 
Give  them  a  chance  in  the  soil  of  your  intellect  and  heart,  and  there 
will  be  a  crowd  of  branches  and  leaves  and  blossoms  and  fruit. 
Professor  Guyot,  of  Princeton  College  is  a  Hebrew  scholar  as  well 
as  a  geologist!     I   heard  him   say  many  years  ago  that  the  roots  of 


936  CHRISTIAX    COXVEXTIOX. 

the  Hebrew  words  used  in  the  first  chnptcr  of  Genesis  to  describe 
the  cosmogony  there  recorded,  were  Hving  geologic  germs,  carry- 
ing within  them  ideas  which  if  stated  could  not  have  been  under- 
stood, but  which,  now  that  the  time  is  come,  verify  themselves  in 
the  discoveries  of  geology.  When  you  have  gone  through  the  pas- 
sage and  written  down  all  IThat  the  examination  of  the  original 
\vords  has  suggested,  you  will  find  that  you  ha^e  rich  materials,  in 
abundance,  for  a  sermon.  Now  reduce  these  materials  ,to 
order. 

Look  for  the  central  thought  of  the  passage.  Seize  upon  it. 
vSelect  the  verse  that  presents  it — that  central  thought.  Make 
that  3'our  text  Arrange  all  the  other  thoughts  as  satellites  around 
this  central  thought  and  you  \v\\\  find  that  vour  sermon  is  rising  up 
before  you  as  a  solar  system,  with  its  sun  at  the  center,  and  planets 
and  asteroids  moving  around  it  in  light  and  warmth  and  harmony 
and  beauty.  It  will  not  appear  to  be  an  expository  sermon,  but  it 
will  be  such  in  the  highest  and  best  sense  of  that  word.  You  may 
say  that  this  will  involve  much  time  and  toil,  but  a  sermon  ought 
to  cost  us  something,  and  if  we  follow  this  plan  of  work  we  shall 
learn  to  do  it  with  increasing  rapidity  and  facility;  with  much 
fervor  of  mind  and  gladness  of  heart.  And  I  would  make 
expository  preaching  include  the  exposition  of  the  volume  of  nature. 
Holy  Scripture  and  nature  are  God's  two  great  books,  and  the  truths 
of  Scripture  have  their  analogies  in  nature.  Have  you  a  Scripture 
truth  in  hand?  Search  for  its  analogy  in  nature.  The  pursuit 
will  be  a  delight,  the  discovery  a  joy,  the  appropriation  an  enrich- 
m.ent.  And,  having  discovered  it,  illustrate  the  Scripture-truth  by 
this,  its  embodiment  which  you  have  found  in  nature.  Your  hearers 
will  never  forget  a  truth  so  exemplified.  Modern  science  has 
opened  up  to  us  this  realm  of  nature.  It  is  no\v  a  library  rather 
than  a  volume.  Be  at  home  in  this  library.  Acquaint  yourself 
with  its  departments,  that  vou  may  be  able  to  bring  into  view  the 
material  expressions  of  spiritual  truths. 

A  sermon  thus  constructed  will  be  an  expository  discourse.  It 
will  be  fresh,  vivid,  instructive,  interesting,  and  so  far  as  it  catches 
the  spirit  which  dwells  in  the  Scripture  and  in  nature  it  will  be 
spiritual  and  divine.  It  'will  be  a  sermon  that  has  spimng  up,  not 
out  of  one's  own  shallowness,  but  out  of  the  great  depths  of  God's 
mind  and  heart. 

2.  Let  the  manner  of  your  utterance  be  colloquial.  In  the  pul- 
pit the  simply  natural  is  to  be  prefen-ed  to  the  rhetorical  or  the 
oratorical.  Talk  to  your  audience.  Speak  to  them  as  you  would 
to  individuals  in  your  own  parlor.  Unify  your  congregation  so 
that  it  shall  stand  before  you  as  a  single  person  with  whom  you  are 
about  to  argue  and  plead;  whom  you  desire  to  conciliate,  convince, 


CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION.  927 

and  lead  into  the  love  and  practice  of  the  truth  which  you  arc  incul- 
cating. 

3.  Let  the  truth  which  you  propose  to  preach  first  thoroughly 
master  you.  Men  like  to  see  exhibitions  of  power,  and  no  mani- 
festation of  power  is  more  impressive  than  the  perceived  dominance 
of  a  truth  over  the  speaker  who  is  proclaiming  that  truth.  Let 
your  theme  completely  subdue  and  possess  and  absorb  your  own 
soul.  Come  into  the  pulpit  every  Sabbath  with  a  week's  new  illu- 
mination and  a  week's  spiritual  glow. 

4.  Concentrate  your  energies  on  your  own  church  and  parish, 
^linisters  are  called  upon  to  do  much  exterior  work.  Do  what  you 
can  of  this,  without  neglecting  your  own  sphere  of  labor.  Let  that 
be  the  limit.  Bevond  that,  learn  to  say  "No."  Sacrifice,  if  needs 
be,  outside  popularity  to  inside  usefulness.  The  minister  who  thus 
restricts,  and  disciplines  and  develops  himself,  will  draw  hearers  to 
himself.  He  will  have  something  to  give,  and  men  generally  find 
their  way  to  the  place  where  they  can  get  anything. 

But  though  the  minister  fulfill  this  scheme  of  thought  and  prep- 
aration and  action,  his  success  will  onlv  be  partial,  if  he  has  not 
the  hearty  co-operation  of  the  members  of  his  church. 

What  then  shall  laymen  do  to  ?nake  the  church  attractive  ? 
There  are  three  effective  things  they  can  do. 

I.  Set  a  good  example  in  attending  church  yourselves.  See 
how  it  is  now  in  most  churches.  The  members  come  in  the  morn- 
ing. The  house  is  full.  But  to  a  great  extent  they  have  abandoned 
the  evening  service.  They  require  their  minister  to  preach,  as  well 
as  he  can,  to  empty  pews,  unless  he  can  draw  in  strangers  that  shall 
occupy  them.  When  these  church  members  called  this  minister  to 
be  their  leader  they  promised  to  support  him.  Instead  of  fulfilling 
their  promise  they  break  his  heart  by  their  absence.  They 
tell  him  to  lead,  thev  call  him  their  captain,  they  push  him  to 
the  front,  they  put  the  banner  of  the  church  into  one  of  his  hands, 
and  bid  him  take  the  sword  of  the  Spirit,  the  Word  of  God  in  the 
other;  and  yet  they  who  are  his  soldiers,  who  have  vowed  to  stand 
by  him,  desert  him,  and  from  a  distance,  the  distance  of  their 
respective  homes,  cry  out  to  him  and  say:  "Fight  it  out,  bepluckv, 
do  not  give  in,  be  valiant;  we  admire  what  vou  are  attempting." 
What  can  be  more  disheartening  than  this?  It  puts  a  burden  upon 
the  minister  he  cannot  carry.  He  staggers  under  it.  I  was  not 
long  since  in  a  church  which  has  a  distinguished,  eloquent,  devout 
and  learned  pastor.  He  has  a  good  audience  in  the  morning,  and 
about  a  hundred  in  the  evening.  His  health  gave  way  last  winter, 
and  an  officer  in  his  church  said  to  me,  "  This  was  what  broke  him 
down." 

How  can  we  expect  outsiders  to  come  in,  w^hen  the  insiders  set 


928  CHRISTIAN    CON^■E^'TION. 

such  an  example  of  indifference  and  disloyalty?     It  is  no  wonder  if 
people  say:  "  Christians  stay  out,  why  should  we  go  in?" 

If  the  laymen  would  attend  church  in  the  evening  as  they  do  in 
the  morning,  the  minister  would  be  greatly  encouraged.  The  pres- 
ence of  his  people,  the  thought  that  they  were  praying  for  him, 
would  be  a  stimulus  to  him.  He  would  preach  ten  times  better  than 
he  does. 

2.  Not  only  attend   the   services,  but  assume   the   right   attitude 
toward  sti^angers. 

There  is  a  tendency  in  the  churches  to  degenerate  into  aristocratic 
religious  clubs;  a  tendency  to  welcome  the  rich,  and  repel  the  poor. 
This  is  an  evil  spirit.  Exorcise  it.  Open  your  pews  freely.  Open 
your  hearts.  If  you  see  a  stranger  in  the  audience,  go  to  him  at  the 
close  of  the  service,  speak  a  kind  word  to  him,  give  him  a  cordial 
grasj?  of  the  hand.  He  will  not  forget  it.  He  will  come  again.  In 
a  church  where  I  was  the  other  night,  five  young  men  were  sitting 
in  a  pew  in  front  of  the  deacon.  When  the  service  was  over  he 
went  and  shook  hands  with  them  all.     They  will  remember  that. 

Honor  the  poor.  Let  the  fact  that  you  are  better  off  than  they 
lead  3'ou  to  pay  them  special  attention.  Do  it,  not  as  though  it  were 
an  act  of  condescension,  but  with  a  loving  heart.  Choose  as  ushers 
your  best  men ;  the  kindest,  the  aptest,  the  most  courteous,  the  men 
who  possess  the  most  social  qualities.  Thus  make  the  church  as 
attracti\e  as  possible. 

3.  Let  each  member  try  to  bring  in  some  who  are  not  accus- 
tomed to  attend  church.  Do  you  know  one  such?  Invite  him.  Set 
your  heart  on  him,  prav  for  him,  go  for  him. 

In  order  to  accomplish  any  great  achievement  two  things  are 
needful.  First,  a  definite  purpose.  Nothing  worthy  can  be  attained 
at  hap-hazard.  There  must  be  an  aim,  a  goal  toward  which  we 
intelligently,  resolutely,  prayerfully,  and  persistently  strive.  Let 
this  be  the  aim;  let  pastor  and  people  unite  in  this  determination: 
"We  will  fill  our  church  with  people,  and  by  God's  grace  endeavor 
to  convert  all  that  come  into  it." 

And  there  is  a  second  thing,  for,  though  we  propose  this  to  our- 
selves, we  shall  not  succeed  without  enthusiasm.  Revert  to  the 
origin  of  this  word  which  means  "inspired  by  God,"  "full  of  God." 
Christ  is  our  God.  He  is  our  Immanuel,  God  with  us.  But  He 
must  be  even  more  than  that  to  us.  He  must  be  Christ  in  us, 
dwelling  in  us  by  His  holy  spirit  quickening,  guiding,  and  sustain- 
ing us.  This  is  the  divine  baptism,  pcipetual  and  effective.  If  we 
have  this,  the  church  will  be  attractive,  and  it  will  become  the  place 
where  many  souls  shall  be  reborn. 

The  succeeding  feature  of  the  evening's  session  was  the  singing 
of  the  "Song  of  the  Soldier"  by  the  male  choir.     It  had  a  sturdy, 


CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION.  929 

martial  ring,  worthy  of  soldiers  of  the  cross;  so  much  so  that  Mr. 
Mootlv  sprang  up — and  the  spirit  that  moves  Mr.  Moody  is  an 
awfully  active  one — and  exclaimed,  in  his  blunt,  honest  way,  that 
that  was  the  ^vav  to  reach  non -church-goers,  by  a  male  choir.  lie 
liked  that  singing,  he  said;  he  liked  it  better  than  speaking  anyway. 
Then  incidentallv  he  told  of  the  success  in  training  enjoyed  by  cer- 
tain bands  of  men  in  Glasgow  whose  voices  at  first  were  simply 
execrable,  but  which  proved  susceptible  of  such  improvement  that, 
after  a  time,  their  worthy  owners  were  mighty  factors  in  drawing 
large  audiences  to  this  and  that  building  in  the  city  of  Glasgow  by 
the  power  and  tunefulness  of  their  cultivated  voices.  So  Mr. 
Moody  had  reason  to  applaud  the  good  work  of  the  choir  at  his 
elbow,  and  demand,  with  his  little  fling  at  the  speakers,  while 
laughter  arose,  another  hj-mn  from  his  staunch  auxiliaries  and  his 
audience  combined. 

Following  Dr.  Scudder  there  -were  appointed  as  speakers  the 
Rev.  Bishop  C.  E.  Cheney,  and  the  Rev.  M.  M.  Parkhurst. 
Rev.  Dr.  Parkhurst  began  by  saying  that  he  supposed  that  ministers 
had  studied  the  question  from  the  beginning  of  their  work,  and 
it  had  been  as  much  a  question  of  thought  and  work  as  any  other. 
The  class  of  people  to  reach  in  the  consideration  of  the  question  was 
the  non-church-going  one.  The  convention  had  been  told  that  95 
per  cent,  of  the  workingmen  of  Manchester  did  not  go  to  church. 
We  would  find  that  this  number  was  increasing  about  us.  It  was  a 
hard  thing  to  break  down  the  habit  of  non-church-going.  There 
is,  in  the  first  place,  a  prejudice  on  the  part  of  this  class  to  encounter. 
They  feel  that  they  do  not  kno\v  the  people  who  attend  the 
churches,  and  that  the  church  is  not  their  social  club. 

There  were  people  in  the  city  who  did  not  know  whether  the 
church  in  their  block  was  Protestant  or  Catholic,  German  or  English. 
One  could  hardlv  believe  that  such  a  thing  existed,  yet  it  was 
true.  One  of  the  first  things  to  do  was  to  break  down  the  prejudice 
entertained  by  this  class  that  ministers  were  mere  hirelings,  acting 
in  a  perfunctory  way.  An  incident  was  related  that  occurred  at  the 
Annapolis  naval  school  during  the  war.  An  order  was  issued  one 
morning  to  all  the  men  to  attend  service.  There  were  sixty  Roman 
Catholics  who  refused  to  obey  an  order,  as  they  understood  it,  to 
attend  a  service  outside  their  o'wn  church.  The  commander  said 
they  would  have  to  go,  or  suffer  the  consequences  of  a  disobedience 
of  orders.  The  speaker  said  that  there  was  a  chance  for  a  fight 
and  trouble.  He  went  to  a  Catholic  priest,  and,  telling  him  what 
had  taken  place,  asked  him  if  he  could  not  arrange  to  have  these 
men  attend  a  service  conducted  according  to  their  own  belief. 
The  reply  was,  certainly,  and  a  service  was  held.  The  men  attended 
and   found  that  places  had  been  reserved  for  them  in   the  church. 


CHRISTXAX    C0X\"EXT10X. 

When  tbej  rdtumed  tbej  felt  pleased,  and  in  the  afternoon  they 
gliadlj  tnumed  out  to  hear  the  speaker  preaidi,  and  said  that  they 
vconld  alvrajs  he  ready  to  hear  him.  By  kindness  their  pmejudices 
had  been  oveicome. 

The  speaker  had  found  that  funerals  afforded  a  good  opportu- 
nity, and  i^hile  the  hearts  of  those  present  v^cps  still  -warm,  and 
bef  cure  the  teams  'weie  iBiriped  ainray  he  had  something  to  say  that 
w^ould  diavp  them  to  the  ^urch.  At  \reddings,  too,  there  was  an 
o|^K>rtunity  to  say  something  An  excellent  means  of  bringing 
on^deis  into  the  church  mras  the  Tilting  of  Ladies  am<mg  the  people 
in  foUovring  and  'working  up  any  particular  movemenL  - 

He  suggested  that  a  le^(»ii  could  be  learned  from  the  shre\ird 
bsssiraess  man  in  his  efforts  to  leacli  the  people.  He  yeas  constandy 
advertising.  When  his  sales  have  reached  millicHis  why  not  stc^ 
adverti^ng?  He  knew  that  w^hen  he  dropped  out  of  the  public  eye 
his  bnsuness  ^d  so  too. 

The  force  of  this  w^as  iUntstrated  by  relating  an  e3q)erience  in  the 
First  M.  E.  Church.  When  he  w^as  first  cormected  with  it  he 
found  that  but  about  aghty  perscKis  attended  the  Sunday  night  ser- 
vices. He  had  ypoo  circulars  printed  for  cUstribution  every  Satur- 
day night,  announcing  the  service  of  the  evening  following.  There 
was  not  a  store,  or  restaurant,  or  place  into  livhich  they  did  not  find 
idirar  w^av.  The  result  of  this  constant  and  ccHisistent  advertising 
was  that  in  a  year's  time  the  attendance  increased  to  400.  It 
was  hard  work,  and  could  be  accomplished  ordy  by  hard  and  con- 
stant hammering.     Besides  there  must  be  isrorkers  to  follow^this  up. 

Similar  incidents  vrere  retated.  In  a  shoe-making  suburb  of 
Boston,  of  5^00  people  there  were  no  church-goers.  Every  Sat- 
urday night  texts  were  distributed  through  the  shops,  **Remember 
to  keep  holy  the  Sabbath,''  among  others.  In  ttarec  years  there 
■was  a  church  of  over  700.  Yhe  B?"f^Tii:t«  foUow^ed,  and  then  the 
Unitarians  in  the  work. 

At  Elgin,  on  the  -west  - :  : ;     :  .  there  was  a  population 

***  3*5**»  yactically  none  ..-goers.     A  young  man 

was  statioiKd  aoKXig  tk.  ':•  'work.     In  eleven 

nMxiihs  a  Sunday  schoc.  ndance  of  300  w^as 

bniltnpL 

Getholdof  thepeopiv      ^  :        :      -- .      B-!ld 

jip  a  fire,  and  whoe  ther  r  - 

Nobody  cared  ta  gather  a      _:  1    :      .        11  _     _-    .-^.-:~ 

the  fire  of  the  love  of  God.  You  must  have  warmth  or  you  will 
freeze. 

Tv;  .rtzttrouUe  ^rasthat  enoogh  inrork  ^ras  not  done.  He 
wir  V  -  vr  the  fire  and  irarmdi  of  this  great  convention  go  out 

:        and  the  Northwest. 


CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION.  931 

After  a  hymn  by  the  choir,  and  prayer  by  Dr.  Savage,  Bishop 
Cheney  was  called  upon  by  Mr.  Moody  to  speak  on  the  same  topic. 
Bishop  Cheney  said :  He  confessed  that  he  was  appalled  when  he 
stood  before  the  vast  audience,  not  appalled  at  the  audience,  but  at 
his  ability  to  pack  in  ten  minutes'  time  the  thought  involved  in  this 
question. 

He  wanted  to  draw  a  clear  and  distinct  definition.  First  of  all, 
to  reach  and  influence  the  hearts  of  those  outside,  there  must  be  a 
revival  in  the  church.  It  had  been  well  said  that  there  was  a  preju- 
dice against  the  church,  and  the  pride  of  church  members,  and  the 
coldness  of  the  ministers  were  complained  of  by  outsidei's.  Was  it 
not  time  that  the  church  needed  an  outpouring  of  the  spirit  that 
would  kindle  the  fire  of  love?  There  was  need  of  a  quickening  of 
the  hearts  and  souls  of  the  professed  Christian,  that  would  make 
them  consistent  followers  of  Christ,  so  that  when  one  of  them 
passes  by  it  could  be  said.  There  is  a  Christian  man,  or  woman. 
When  that  jooint  was  reached  the  professed  Christian  would  be  able 
to  extend  his  influence  over  those  outside. 

There  was  need  of  personal  effort.  He  indorsed  everything 
that  had  been  said  about  the  thorough  advertising  and  meetings  and 
services,  and  about  the  efforts  to  build  up  evening  services.  The 
great  trouble  was  that  not  enough  effort  was  made  to  reach  the  in- 
dividual, but  all  was  directed  toward  the  masses. 

The  masses  could  only  be  reached  through  the  individual  first. 
He  believed  that  a  great  mistake  had  been  made  by  the  churches 
on  this  question.  The  great  question  was,  "How  can  I  reach  the 
individual  ?  "  We  want  more  individual  effort,  and  on  the  part  of 
the  layman  above  all  things  else.  If  we  are  to  reach  and  touch  the 
souls  that  habitually  neglect  the  gospel,  we  must  give  them  some- 
thing that  they  cannot  get  in  anv  other  place.  Tell  the  old  story 
of  the  gospel.      Christ  crucified  alone  touched  and  influenced  man. 


SECOI^D  DAY  OF  THE  C0]^VEE"TI0I!^. 

MORNING    SERVICE. 

The  second  day  of  the  Christian  convention  was  as  largely 
attended  as  the  first,  and  as  early  as  eight  o'clock  there  were 
hundreds  of  people  seeking  admission  to  Farwell  Hall,  that  the), 
might  secure  eligible  seats,  and  at  nine  o'clock  all  the  seats  on  the 
first  floor  were  taken,  and   many  in  the  gallery. 

'how  shall  we  secure  a  larger  attendance  at  public 

WORSHIP?" 

Rev.  P.  S.  Henson,  D.  D.,  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  Church, 
Chicago,  addressed  the  audience  as  follows: 

I  might  speak  to  you  of  a  score  of  points,  each  one  of  which 
would  be  helpful  in  its  measure  to  secure  the  object  contemplated 
in  this  question,  but  I  shall  speak  of  only  a  few  that  suggest  them- 
selves to  me,  and  I  pray  that  God  will  help  me  to  emphasize  these 
few  as  their   supreme   importance  demands. 

And,  first  of  all,  allow  me  to  say,  for  it  is  on  my  heart,and  in  it, 
that  in  order  to  secure  a  larger  attendance  of  people  upon  public 
worship,  there  should  be  Sunday-school  training  of  the  children  in 
the  direction  of  attendance  on  the  preaching  of  the  gospel.  The 
first  thing  to  be  done  is  in  the  sphere  of  the  Sunday-school.  I  thank 
God  that  I  live  in  the  foi^emost  age  of  human  history,  for  I  am  not 
one  of  those  who  are  continually  inquiring  why  the  former  days 
were  better  that  these.  I  believe  these  to  be  the  best  days  the 
world  has  ever  seen,  and  I  thankful  for  the  realization  in  our  time 
of  the  Scriptures  saying,  "A  little  child  shall  lead  them."  Yet  I 
cannot  ignore  the  fact  that  in  connection  with  mighty  movements 
in  God's  kingdom  there  are  always  present  occasions  of  peril. 
There  is  a  disposition  to  the  divorcement  of  that  which  God  joined 
together,  and  man  was  never  meant  to  put  asunder. 

In  former  times  parents  took  their  children  with  them  to  the 
house  of  God,  and  sat  with  them  to  listen  to  the  ministrations  of  the 
Gospel,  but  now  the  tendency  is  to  post  the  children  off  to  the 
children's  service,  while  the  poor  pastor  is  likely  to  be  left  alone 
with  a  cold  adult  congregation  from  which  the  young  life  has  ebbed 
933 


934  CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION. 

away.  If  I  am  bereaved  of  my  children  I  am  bereaved  indeed.  So 
it  follows  that  in  many  communities  the  Sunday-school  bond  with 
the  church  is  broken,  and  that  Sunday-school  children,  when  they 
cease  to  be  Sunday-school  children,  never  having  been  in  the  habit 
of  attending  worship  in  their  youth,  are,  of  all  classes,  the  most 
difficult  to  reach.  I  have  no  protests  to  make  against  the  Sunday- 
school;  for  I  have  given  the  strength  of  my  life  to  it,  and  shall 
ever  continue  to  support  it.  I  would  not  tear  up  the  rails  because 
of  the  dangers  of  railroad  travel.  I  would  not  quench  the  fire  in 
the  locomotive,  but  would  see  to  the  switches,  make  sure  of  the 
bridges.  Let  superintendents  and  Sunday-school  teachers  see  that 
the  children  in  their  charge  are  brought  up  to  attend  on  the  preach- 
ing of  the  word.  If  the  alternative  were  to  disband  the  Sumlay- 
school  or  to  have  a  separation  of  the  children  from  the  preaching 
service,  I  would  sav  shut  up  the  Sunday-schools  for  all  time  to 
come.  But  it  is  not  necessary.  Let  us  see  to  the  church  training. 
Let  us  bring  our  children  with  us  to  the  house  of  God,  I  speak 
not  as  a  Christian  minister,  but  as  a  Christian  man,  profoundly  so- 
licitous for  all  the  far-reaching  interests  of  Christ's  kingdom. 

There  must  not  only  be  Sunday-school  training,  but  more  per- 
sonal solicitation.  There  is  an  idea  widely  prevalent  that  our 
churches  are  select  and  exclusive;  that  they  are  religious  clubs;  that 
they  are  concerned  alone  with  their  own  enjoyment;  that  they  are 
out  of  sympathy  with  general  humanity.  This  is  not  true.  There 
is  not  a  minister  on  the  platform  here  who  would  not  rejoice  in  a 
crowd.  Mr.  Moody  is  not  the  only  one  who  likes  a  crowd.  Where 
is  there  a  minister  whose  heart  would  not  rejoice  and  whose  eye 
would  not  glisten  at  the  incoming  of  the  masses?  Our  hearts  yearn 
for  them,  and  yet  there  is  a  presumption  that  the  churches  do  not 
care  to  have  them  come;  that  the  churches  are  close  corporations; 
and,  judging  from  the  looks  of  many  who  join  in  pious  procession 
to  church  with  their  prayer-books  and  hymn-books  under  their  arms, 
unmindful,  apparently,  of  the  multitude  around  them,  who  are  as 
sheep  without  a  shepherd,  the  world  has  reason  to  believe  that  they 
do  not  care  for  the  souls  of  their  fellows.  To  dispossess  men's 
minds  of  this  false  impression,  we  must  go  from  house  to  house,  and 
canvass  the  whole  community,  and  give  earnestness  to  our  invita- 
tion. It  is  not  sufficient  to  open  the  doors.  Christ  did  not  simply 
open  an  office  at  Jerusalem.  He  came  to  seek  as  well  as  save  them 
that  were  lost.  We  must  go  after  the  masses  and  bring  them  in. 
There  is  wonderful  meaning  in  the  passage  of  vScripture  which 
says,  our  Saviour  took  the  man  by  the  hand  and  led  him  out  of 
town.  We  must  take  them  by  the  hand  and  lead  them  into  the 
house  of  God. 

Not  only  must  we   have   this   and    vSunday-school  training,  but 


CHRISTIAN    CONVENT  lOX.  935 

Christian  living  also.  The  great  reason  why  many  men  do  not  go 
to  church  is  the  revulsion  of  disgust  which  comes  to  them  from  see- 
ing the  contrast  between  living  and  profession  among  those  who 
do  go  to  church.  They  look  at  the  lives  of  church-going  people 
and  often  see  painful  evidence  that  church-going  does  hot  avail  to 
make  them  holier  and  happier;  and  so  they  say:  "What  is  the  use 
of  attending  church  if  one  is  not  better  for  it?" 

If  I  am  broken  down  almost  with  constant  strain  of  heart  and 
brain,  and  I  see  men  coming  back  in  the  crisp  autumn  time  from 
sea-shore  and  mountain,  bronzed  and  brawny,  with  new  elasticity  in 
every  step,  I  say  to  myself,  I,  too,  will  drink  health-giving  waters; 
I  will  inhale  the  breezes  of  mountain  air;  I  will  riot  in  the  surf, 
that  I  too  may  recover  back  the  lost  vigor  of  my  life.  So  if  God's 
people  are  seen  to  be  the  better  for  their  going  to  church — if  those 
who  come  forth  from  its  doors  are  found  to  be  more  stalwart  and 
pure  in  all  life's  relations,  and  if  by  manifestation  of  the  truth  they 
commend  themselves  to  every  man's  conscience  in  the  sight  of  God, 
then  there  will  be  streams  of  people  pouring  into  God's  house;  for 
in  the  most  degraded  heart  there  are  flashes  of  angelic  beauty  as 
well  as  traces  of  demoniac  evil,  a  vague,  vast  longing  for  a  better 
life;  but  men  must  first  be  made  to  believe  in  Christians  before  they 
can  be  made  to  believe  in  Christianity,  or  be  brought  to  seek  it  in  the 
house  of  God. 

These  things  that  I  have  spoken  of  are  things  outside.  Then 
there  must  be  things  done  inside  if  we  would  increase  the  attend- 
ance; and  one  of  these  is  cordial,  hearty  welcoming.  There  is  a 
great  deal  depending  upon  how  a  man  is  met  at  the  church-door.  I 
will  not  enter  now  at  length  upon  that  much  mooted  question  of 
free  churches  versus  rented  jdcws.  There  are  considerations  that 
may  be  urged  in  behalf  of  both  sides  of  the  question.  There  are 
advantages  in  having  it  understood  that  every  seat  is  free  to  every- 
body— free  as  the  air  and  the  light  and  the  water  that  God  gives. 
There  are  advantages  in  that.  There  are  advantages  also  in  the 
system  which  allows  a  whole  family  to  go  together,  the  little  child 
nestling  in  God's  house  by  the  side  of  the  parents;  in  having  peo- 
ple gather  in  groups  and  circles  as  in  the  family.  There  is  much 
to  be  said  on  both  sides  of  this  subject.  But  do  you  know  that  a 
man  in  a  free  church,  who  has  come  to  preempt  a  seat  by  long  oc- 
cupation, may  look  as  grim  at  any  stranger,  taking  it  as  though  he 
had  paid  a  thousand  dollars  for  it  [laughter],  while,  on  the  other 
hand,  a  man  may  pay  a  thousand  dollars  for  a  pew,  and  he  may- 
make  it  free  by  the  beaming  smile,  the  joyousness,  the  hearty  hos- 
pitality with  which  he  asks  you  to  take  a  seat  in  it.  [Applause.] 
But  whether  a  church  be  nominally  free,  or  whether  its  revenues  be 
raised  by  members  taxing  themselves  by  pew-rents,  if  a  man  rents 


936  CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION.        • 

a  pew  to  hold  it  against  all  comers,  I  would   not  have  him   hold  it 
a  minute. 

Then,  again,  1  would  have  strangers  met  at  the  door  by  the  best 
men  that  the  church  has — representative  men,  noble  men — big- 
hearted  men,  who  shall  give  to  the  stranger  the  best  seat  in  the 
house.  A  great  deal  depends  upon  this  cordial  welcoming  of 
strangers,  and  bidding  them  come  again. 

And  then  another  thing  is  gospel  preaching,  and  I  say  this  be- 
cause it  needs  to  be  said.  There  is  a  great  deal  of  preaching  done 
by  those  who  do  not  deserve  the  name  of  preachers.  Of  course  we 
all  desire  to  do  the  best  thing  possible,  but  we  are  apt  to  be  mis- 
taken as  to  what  is  the  best  thing.  In  this  age  of  culture  and  ad- 
vanced thought,  a  minister  may  think  that  he  must  be  fully  posted  in 
all  that  is  in  the  latest  books,  and  to  tell  it  all  to  show  his  hearers 
that  he  is  abreast  of  the  age,  and  that  they  may  be  profoundly  im- 
pressed with  his  stores  of  knowledge.  I  don't  know  anything  about 
that  kind  of  preaching,  and  I  thank  God  for  it.  [Applause].  I  re- 
member pi'eaching  some  sermons  in  answer  to  Tyndall.  There 
were  others  answering  him,  and  so  I  thought  I  must  take  my  chance 
at  him,  and  launch  a  polished  shaft  at  him.  And  I  did — not  one, 
but  many. 

Coming  out  of  the  house  one  day,  after  one  of  these  sermons,  a 
big-brained,  big-hearted  man  met  me,  laid  his  hand  on  my  shoulder, 
and  said:  "We  don't  care  a  continental  about  that  man  that  you  have 
been  preaching  about  to-day.  [Laughter.]  Preach  Christ  crucified 
and  we  shall  enjoy  it  better."  I  replied,  "  May  God  forgive  me,  and 
I  hope  you  will."  And  since  then  I  have  delivered  all  the  scientists 
over  to  the  special  care  of  Jehovah.  Talk  about  Tyndall!  The 
biggest  brained  men  in  the  community  who  come  to  occupy  seats  in 
your  church  do  not  care  on  the  Lord's  day  about  your  logical  con- 
catenation of  scientific  arguments.  They  have  hearts  that  want  to 
be  fed,  and  are  full  of  infinite  yearning  after  the  old  gospel.  The 
old,  old  story  is  the  newest  thing  out — the  most  beautiful  thing  be- 
low the  shining  stars.  And  that  is  the  story  to  tell ;  that,  the  thing 
to  preach.  What  were  Christ's  words?  "If  I  be  lifted  up  I 
will  draw  all  men  unto  me."  We  must  have  the  preaching  that 
exalts  Christ,  that  draws  men  to  him — the  plain,  pungent  preaching 
of  the  old  truths  that  are  infinitely  deep  and  infinitely  high  and  in- 
finitely tender.  These  are  the  things  that  grapple  with  men's  con- 
sciences; that  get  hold  of  men's  heart  strings  and  draw  them  to  God. 
You  may  preach  culture,  politics,  humanity;  and  you  will  soon 
wear  them  out,  but  the  story  of  the  gosj^el  is  as  new  to-dav  as  when 
the  Lord  Jesus  first  proclaimed  salvation  on  the  hills  of  old  Judea. 

One  thing  more  and  I  have  done.  I  have  spoken  of  Sunday- 
school  training  in  its  relation  to  church-going,    of  personal   solicita- 


> 

CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION.  937 

tion,  of  cordial  welcoming,  and  of  gospel  preaching;  and  there  is 
one  more  thing,  and  that  is  spiritual  quickening.  We  hear  much 
talk  about  men  of  magnetic  power.  We  want  men  who  will  draw, 
and  churches  that  will  draw.  What  is  anything  good  for  unless  it 
will  draw;  what  is  a  chimney  good  for  that  will  not  draw,  or  a  lo- 
comotive, or  a  man?  [Laughter.]  We  want  men  who  will  draw. 
Some  preachers,  monotonous  preachers,  who  don't  draw,  who 
never  stir  themselves  nor  others,  protest  against  what  they  call  sen- 
sational preaching.  I  believe  in  sensational  preaching.  A  minister 
cannot  indeed  afford  to  make  a  mountebank  of  himself,  because  he 
is  God's  ambassador.  He  cannot  descend  to  the  juggler's  tricks 
that  are  unworthy  of  the  minister  of  Jesus  Christ.  But  all  great 
preachers  that  have  stirred  men's  hearts  were  sensational.  Jesus 
Christ  and  Paul  and  Martin  Luther  and  Calvin  were  sensational. 
What  vou  want  is  a  man  that  will  rouse  men— -a  man  that  will  draw. 
In  order  to  draw,  in  order  to  have  this  magnetism,  there  must  be 
the  communication  of  the  divine  Spirit.  A  magnet  may  be  made 
out  of  a  piece  of  cold  iron.  You  pass  a  coil  of  w^ire  around  it, 
called  a  helix,  and  then  you  turn  on  the  electricity.  The  electricity 
sweeps  around,  and  it  is  transformed  into  a  magnet,  and  lifts  and 
draws  in  a  wonderful  way. 

Just  so,  if  a  preacher  in  the  pulpit  be  compassed  by  this  divine 
influence,  this  subtle  power  of  the  Spirit,  if  there  be  connection  with 
the  poles  at  the  very  throne  of  God,  then  he,  too,  will  be  a  magnet; 
God  having  filled  him  with  his  own  divine  power.  So  on  the  day 
of  Pentecost  there  came  from  heaven  the  sound  of  a  rushing, 
mighty  wind,  and  it  filled  the  house.  That  is  what  we  want.  It 
filled  the  whole  house  where  they  were  gathered,  and  the  apostles 
were  all  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost.  And  mark  what  followed. 
There  were  no  placards  on  the  wall,  no  advertisements  in  the  news- 
papers, and  yet  it  is  recorded  that  just  as  soon  as  the  Holy  Spirit 
filled  the  place,  the  people  from  without  came  together.  And  that 
is  the  way  to  fill  the  house  of  God.  The  people  will  find  it  out. 
The  tidings  will  fly  like  an  electrical  flash;  and  you  will  soon  wonder 
where  the  multitudes  come  from.  God  sends  them.  And  so  the 
house  is  filled.  And  if  we  be  thus  filled  with  the  divine  spirit,  this 
question  of  the  filling  of  the  house  will  have  settled  itself,  and  we 
shall  have  to  lengthen  the  cords  and  strengthen  the  stakes  and  break 
out  on  the  right  hand  and  the  left,  for  the  place  in  which  we  dwell 
will  be  too  strait  for  us;  and  all  flesh  will  see  the  glory  of  our 
God.     [Applause]. 

Mr.  J.  L.  Houghteling,  President  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association,  being  introduced  to  continue,  in  a  ten-minute  talk,  the 
subject  of  church  attendance,  prefaced  his  remarks  by  saying  that 
his  standpoint  would  be  that  of  the  pews,  as  Dr.  Henson's  had  been 


938  CHRISTIAX    COXVEXTIOX. 

from  the  pulpit.  The  newspapers  said  this  morning,  oegan  he,  that 
the  Christian  Convention  was  one  of  the  greatest  gatherings  of 
Christian  people  that  had  ever  been  held.  In  the  hall  there  were 
3,000  people ;  outside,  comprising  the  remainder  of  the  city,  were 
647,000  others.  Supposing  that  instead  of  Farwell  Hall  the  Exposi- 
tion Buildings  were  occupied  for  the  same  purpose,  there  would 
perhaps  be  a  daily  attendance  of  10,000,  aggregating  in  the  three 
days  30,000.  This  latter  total  then,  when  compared  with  the  pop- 
ulation of  the  city  would  represent  alDOut  the  proportion  of  church 
goers.  The  reason  for  this  small  proportion  of  church-going  people 
was  found  in  the  fact  that  through  human  corruption  the  church  had 
come  to  be  designed  for  the  few  in  question.  The  church  had 
become  equivalent  to  a  piece  of  merchandise,  something  with  salable 
features,  like  a  position  on  the  Board  of  Trade.  This  was  hard 
talk,  remarked  the  speaker,  but  true.  The  facts  of  Christianity  were 
neglected  in  the  churches,  and  too  much  attention  instead,  given  to 
theory.  The  people  had  gone  back  upon  the  facts,  while  to  the 
pastor  was  left  the  theory. 

"Let  me  picture  the  average  church  in  Chicago,"  continued  Mr. 
Houghteling,  who  forthwith  sketched  the  reality  most  effectively. 
He  said  that  all  the  pews  were  let  out  under  a  sense  of  proprietor- 
ship, and  that  there  was  no  proneness  to  take  in  strangers.  An 
invitation  to  attend  church  was  published  in  the  Sunday  morning 
papers,  with  the  invitation  left  out.  When  strangers  from  force  of 
habit  or  conviction  attended  they  were  met  by  a  parcel  of  well- 
dressed  gentlemen,  and  could  but  observe  that  the  service  was  of  a 
character  somewhat  habitual  and  perfunctory,  conducted  under  the 
belief  that  it  would  all  improve  one's  chances  of  heaven.  Was 
there  any  wonder  that  the  proportion  of  church-goers  was  small? 

The  Vented  pew  business,  continued  the  speaker,  who  incident- 
ally observed  that  he  stood  up  from  the  pews,  and  so  spoke  for  their 
occupants,  was  a  modern  business,  and  a  system  which  he  was 
inclined  to  say  was  one  of  the  mistakes  of  Protestantism.  He  had 
found  no  recommendation  in  the  Bible  about  high  places  in  the 
synagogue.  The  pew-renting  system  was  not  found  among  Catho- 
lics, unless  they  had  been  corrupted  by  juxtaposition  with  Pro- 
testants. 

In  the  great  cathedrals  abroad  seats  were  free  and  room  for 
prince  and  beggar,  side  by  side. 

The  speaker  declared  himself  not  afraid  to  say  that  free  churches 
were  a  very  important  element  in  drawing  masses.  Experience  in 
Chicago  had  proven  this  true.  There  was  a  little  church  in  this  city 
where  the  seats  were  free  as  air — freer  than  water,  for  water  was 
taxed.  In  this  little  church  there  was  more  money  spent  in  the  ser- 
vice of  God  than  in  any  church  of  its  size  in  all   Chicago.     Which 


CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION.  939 

the  active  little  congregation  was  Mr.  Houghteling  refrained  from 
publicly  announcing,  but  expressed  his  willingness  to  tell,  more  pri- 
vately, any  and  all. 

In  England  it  had  been  shown  that  the  free  churches  were  the 
ones  that  drew.  Perhaps  some  might  say  that  our  churches  can't 
be  turned  from  proprietary  to  free  churches.  But  the  second  ser- 
vice could  be  made  free  as  air,  and  every  Christian  man  could 
become  a  cordial  host  in  the  house  of  God.  A  cordial  invitation 
should  be  extended  to  people.  And  how?  Let  some  family  in 
each  block  be  named  who  should  care  for  the  interests  of  the 
stranger  in  that  block  and  see  that  they  are  invited  to  attend  this  or 
that  church  as  the  denomination  and  locality  of  the  family  might  be ; 
while  if  the  stranger  were  of  a  denomination  not  identical  with  this 
particular  family,  then  the  latter  should  inform  the  pastor  of  that 
other  denomination  that  such  and  such  people  are  within  his  juris- 
diction. In  this  way  should  the  interests  of  parishioners  be  followed 
up,  nor  need  there  either,  at  the  same  time,  be  any  machinery  in  it. 
Another  element  of  attraction  to  churches,  and  a  factor  for 
good,  was  successful  ushering.  Besides  ihe  Spirit  of  Almighty 
God  a  cordial  manner  and  common  sense  were  essential  characteris- 
tics of  an  usher.  He  should  be  honestly  glad  to  see  a  person,  and 
should  welcome  him  as  his  best  friend  and  :n  his  own  house.  Again, 
an  usher  should  use  discretion  in  the  locating  of  strangers  in  church 
pews.  A  poor  mother,  just  from  the  washing  of  her  dishes,  and 
clad  in  a  humble  way,  would  feel  uncomfortable  in  a  front 
seat  where  she  might  feel  that  the  entire  attention  of  the  congrega- 
tion was  attracted  toward  herself.  Then,  again,  good  judgment 
should  so  far  direct  an  usher  that  he  would  not  place  a  modest  young 
country  lad  in  the  same  pew  with  a  young  lady.  He  certainly 
wouldn't  feel  at  home,  and  it  wasn't  altogether  certain  that  she 
would  be  particularly  pleased. 

Speaking  from  personal  information  Mr.  Houghteling  alluded  to 
the  pronounced  success  achieved  by  one  good  church  oittcer  whose 
cordiality  and  sincerity  of  manner  eventually  brought  into  his 
church  seventy  young  men,  who  came  to  stand  shoulder  by  shoulder 
to  worship. 

Let  the  churches  be  made  as  free  as  grace,  as  free  as  his  call  who 
had  said  come  all  and  be  refreshed.  Let  the  facts  of  Christianity 
be  brought  up  to  its  theories,  and  the  churches  would  be  filled. 

At  the  conclusion  of  Mr.  Houghteling's  remarks,  Mr.  Moody 
said  if  all  these  advocates  of  free  churches  would  come  over  to 
Chicago  Avenue  they  would  be  given  seats.  As  Dr.  Henson 
said,  there  were  two  sides  to  this  question.  There  was  a  class  of 
people  who  wanted  to  be  together  in  church  as  a  family.  These 
should  have  some  consideration.     When   in   London   he   had  made 


940  CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION. 

inquiry  regarding  the  management  of  Mr.  Spurgeon's  church. 
He  found  that  the  pews  there  were  rented,  but  the  highest-priced 
pew  was  ys.  6d.  or  about  $3  in  our  money  for  the  quarter,  or  $8  a 
year.  Thus  the  very  best  seat  in  the  tabernacle  could  be  purchased 
by  the  poorest  laboring  man  to  hear  the  grandest  man  on  the 
face  of  the  globe.  The  cheapest  pew  was  about  one-fourth  this 
amount.  If  we  could  not  have  free  churches,  we  could  have  them 
with  pews  at  a  price  within  the  reach  of  every  one.  The}''  could 
make  a  compromise. 

The  hymn  "Bringing  in  the  Sheaves"  was  sung,  and  Major 
Whittle  led  in  prayer 

The  quartette  on  the  platform  sang  "Peace,  Be  Still." 
Dr.   Ninde,  of  the   G-arrett  Biblical  Institute  at  Evanston,  then 
took  up  the  topic: 

"how  can  the  influence  of  christian  homes  be 
increased?" 

He  commenced  by  saying  that  he  felt  both  oppressed  and  stim- 
ulated by  the  magnitude  of  the  theme.  He  doubted  if  there  was  a 
more  important  theme  in  the  programme,  however  inadequate  the 
discussion  might  prove.  The  union  of  the  hearts  by  the  marriage 
tie  constituted  the  home;  the  indissoluble  union  of  the  Christian 
hearts  constituted  the  Christian  home.  How  can  the  influence  of 
such  a  home  be  increased  ? 

1.  By  increasing  the  attractiveness  of  the  home  in  its  natural 
features.  Amid  the  havoc  and  wreck  which  sin  had  made  the  home 
is  the  oasis  in  our  social  desert.  Missionaries  speak  of  the  heathen 
women  as  looking  in  through  the  doors  of  Christian  dwellings  and 
weeping  as  they  contrasted  the  barrenness  and  misery  of  their  own. 
By  seeking  to  make  our  home  life  warm  and  genial  and  beautiful, 
we  indirectly  but  powerfully  increase  its  influence  for  religious  ends. 

2.  We  may  increase  the  influence  of  the  home  for  religious  ends 
by  deepening  our  conviction  of  the  great  idea  for  which  the  home 
was  founded.  God's  purpose  in  the  home  was  to  seek  thereby  a 
godly  seed.  The  religious  nurture  of  childhood  is  therefore  the 
grand  work  of  Christian  parents.  And  to  effect  this  purpose  we 
need  to  revive  the  old  and  faded  truth  of  the  church  in  the  house. 
We  are  too  apt  to  associate  God's  special  presence  and  Christian 
work  too  exclusively  with  the  temple  where  the  Christian  commu- 
nity gather  for  religious  worship,  and  forget  that  this  earth  has  no 
more  sacred  place  than  the  dwelling  consecrated  by  the  devotion  of 
loving  hearts. 

It  is  a  gloiious  privilege,  amid  the  religious  indifference  of  these 
times,  to  stand  within  one's  own  threshold  a  divinely  anointed  rep- 


CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION.  941 

resentative  of  the  family,  and  declare  that,  "as  for  me  and  my  house, 
we  will  serve  the  Lord?'  The  great  work  of  Christian  parents  is 
to  create,  instrumentally,  and  nurture  piety  in  their  children.  This 
work  must  be  done  promptly.  The  work  must  begin  even  before 
the  dawn  of  self-consciousness.  To  delay  is  to  lose  the  best  oppor- 
tunity and  to  imperil  the  souls  of  our  children.  It  must  be  pursued 
continuously.  God  never  wavers  in  His  gracious  work.  At  no 
moment  is  He  absent  from  the  heart  of  the  child.  It  must  be  done 
with  infinite  painstaking.  No  press  of  worldly  cares  must  interfere 
with  our  unwavering  devotion  to  the  religious  welfare  of  our  chil- 
dren. And  the  discipline  we  employ  must  be  largely  self-discipline. 
There  is  an  unconscious  influence  which  goes  out  from  our  very 
tones  and  looks  and  powerfully  modifies  the  character  of  the  young. 
Such  painstaking  care  will  lead  to  a  holy  tact  in  presenting 
religion  to  our  children.  We  shall  present  religion,  not  by  obtrud- 
ing, but  by  insinuating  it.  We  too  often  preach  to  our  children. 
We  assail  and  overwhelm  them  with  it,  and  thus  too  often  arouse 
their  prejudices  and  defeat  our  purest  wishes.  To  expend  care  now 
is  to  save  ourselves  care  in  the  future.  The  worst  furies  that  lash 
the  soul  of  many  a  father  and  mother  are  the  living  or  dead  victims 
of  parental  neglect. 

3.  The  influence  of  Christian  homes  may  be  vastly  increased 
over  those  who  are  its  transient  inmates.  ^lany  a  one  has  felt  a 
strange  impressiveness  in  the  very  atmosphere  of  a  pious  home 
leading  him  to  Christ.  The  Christian  home  ought  to  be  signalized 
by  gracious,  saving  influences  upon  all  who  enter  within  its  sphere. 
Rev.  Dr.  Hatfield  followed  Dr.  Ninde  in  the  discussion  of  this 
topic,  and  said  it  was  the  most  important  question  that  had  been 
befoi-e  the  convention.  But  one  might  better  try  to  preach  ten  ser- 
mons on  it  than  deal  with  it  in  ten  minutes.  He  had  read  an  article 
in  one  of  the  popular  quarterlies  on  "The  Dangerous  Classes."  He 
had  supposed  that  this  referred  to  the  tramps  and  communists,  but 
was  surprised  to  find  that  it  referred  to  the  wealthy  men — the  men 
who  were  in  the  great  corporations,  the  monopolists,  as  the  danger- 
ous classes,  and  he  quite  agreed  with  the  writer.  Dr.  Howard  Cros- 
by, or  at  least  thought  he  was  not  far  out  of  the  way.  He  agreed 
with  others  that  every  soul  saved  was  of  equal  value  before  God. 
When  we  become  enthusiastic  in  caring  for  the  neglected  classes  we 
were  in  danger  of  missing  a  great  class  very  much  in  need.  He  had 
b«en  making  observations  for  years  regarding  the  history  and  future 
of  children  of  prominent  members  of  the  Christian  churches,  and  he 
stood  appalled  at  the  facts  that  confronted  him. 

He  had  stood  in  the  churches  and  looked  at  the  leading  men 
there — men  whose  names  were  good  for  thousands — men  who  had 
been  in  the  church  for  years,  and   yet   not   one   of   them  had  a  son 


942  CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION. 

worthy  his  weight  in  scrap  iron,  so  far  as  religion  was  concerned.  He 
had  gone  to  other  congregations  and  found  the  same  thing  there. 
He  had  looked  over  the  churches  in  this  city,  and  he  declared  that 
it  was  a  rare  thing  to  find  a  man  of  prominence  there  who  has  a  son 
in  the  work  of  Christ,  jMany  of  these  sons  were  worldly,  not  a  few 
were  skeptical  and  atheistic.  Many  were  steeped  in  crime  to  the 
ver}'  lips,  and  they  were  bringing  their  fathers  and  mothers  down 
to  the  grave  in  sorrow.  It  was  not  so  bad  on  the  other  side  of  the 
house,  but  the  daughters  were  living  lives  of  pleasure.  What  was 
the  matter?  He  was  afraid  he  woukl  not  pass  a  veiy  good  exam- 
ination in  the  doctrine  of  election,  and  he  would  no  doubt  be  pro- 
nounced unorthodox,  but  he  believed  in  the  election  of  the  sons  and 
daughters  of  Christian  parents  as  much  as  he  believed  in  the  elec- 
tion of  any  one.  He  could  look  over  families  and  predict  their 
home  life.  "  He  knew  of  a  moral  certainty  that  the  children  would 
be  found  at  the  Savior's  feet.  In  the  house  of  God  one  would  see 
the  father,  mother,  sons  and  daughters  all  go  to  the  table  and  par- 
take of  the  sacrament.  Then  there  were  other  families  where  it 
was  just  as  clear  to  his  mind  that  there  would  be  slight  gleaning  for 
Christ.  What  was  the  matter,  he  asked?  What  was  to  be  done  to 
increase  the  power  for  Christ  in  the  homes?  If  they  had  to  go 
through  the  process  of  converting  people  over  and  over,  and  could 
never  plant  missions  where  the  children  would  be  brought  into  the 
church  by  the  influence  of  the  home,  they  could  not  expect  to  save 
the  world  to  Christ. 

He  believed  in  a  gospel  that  saved  men,  and  he  believed  in 
emploving  all  classes,  but  he  had  not  so  much  faith  in  that  kind  of 
work  that  wanted  to  save  alone  the  drunkard  and  the  prize-fighter 
and  other  men  of  the  vicious  classes.  He  believed  in  saving  the 
homes  and  the  children  who  were  born  to  God  in  Christian  homes. 
He  believed  in  reclaiming  the  heathen,  but  there  were  the  children 
of  the  church  to  be  saved  and  they  must  not  be  neglected.  He 
had  often  thought  of  what  must  have  been  the  thoughts  of  our  first 
mother.  Eve,  with  her  first  child.  She  had  no  mother  to  instruct 
her  in  raising  her  child.  He  had  something  of  the  same  feeling  as 
he  looked  upon  the  young  mother  to-day  with  her  babe  in  her 
arms.  He  paid  a  glowing  tribute  to  the  Christian  mothers  of  the 
land  who  were  doing  so  much  for  character  in  the  rising  genera- 
tions. 

The  first  thing  needed  in  this  work  was  character  on  the  part 
of  the  parents,  and  especially  on  the  part  of  the  mothers.  Some- 
thing in  the  way  of  reproof  might  be  necessary,  but  the  thing  that 
environed  the  child  from  its  infancy  was  the  kindly  influence  of 
Christian  parents.  He  knew  of  one  house  where  there  were  nine 
children,  and  they  could  as  men  and  women   all  testify  to  the  fact 


CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION.  943 

that  they  had  never  heard  an  angry  word  or  received  an  angry  look 
from  the  Christian  mother  who  presided  over  that  home.  And  her 
work  was  seen  in  the  Christian  character  of  the  sons  and  daughters 
left  to  revere  her  memory.     God's  blessing  rested  upon  that  family. 

What  could  be  done  for  the  mothers  especially?  One  thing 
was  of  great  and  all-absorbing  importance.  The  mothers  should 
be  thoroughly  convinced  of  the  importance  of  the  work  given 
them  to  do.  He  might  be  old-fogyish  on  this  subject,  but  he  was 
not  carried  away  by  the  idea  of  sphere  in  woman's  work. 

He  believed  the  highest  sphere  for  woman  was  in  the  home  as 
the  mothers  of  families.  He  had  heai'd  one  member  of  the  conven- 
tion remark  that  the  husbands  in  his  church  stayed  at  home  and 
took  care  of  the  children  while  their  wives  were  out  doing  the  church 
work.  He  preferred  that  his  wife  should  remain  at  home  where 
she  had  so  much  influence  for  g-ood  in  molding  the  character  of  the 
children.  He  said  a  man  might  go  on  the  Board  of  Trade  and  be 
greatly  impressed  v^ath  the  magnitude  of  the  business  transacted 
there,  but  for  him  he  believed  that  the  work  of  the  wives  at  home 
was  a  hundred  times  more  important  than  this.  Yes,  the  mothers 
were  doing  a  grander  work  and  were  of  more  importance  than  the 
President  of  the  United  States.  In  speaking  of  church  going  he 
said  he  did  not  believe  in  holj-day  Christians — people  who  w^ere 
exhausted  with  one  service,  for  whom  one  sermon  was  too  much  to 
digest.  They  spent  their  afternoons  reading  the  Sunday  papers  or 
riding  on  the  boulevards.  The  children  were  sent  to  Sabbath-school, 
but  for  his  part  he  preferred  that  his  children  should  not  be  sent  to 
the  Sunday  school  at  the  sacrifice  of  the  preaching  service.  There 
was  in  every  man  a  fool  age — the  age  when  a  youth  was  neither 
boy  nor  man,  but  knew  more  than  his  father  or  mother  or  the 
ancients,  and  he  was  too  big  to  go  to  Sunday  school.  Had  he  been 
trained  in  going  to  church  the  church  would  have  some  hold  upon 
him,  but  he  had  not  and  he  was  lost  to  the  influences  that  the  chuich 
might  have  been  able  to  throw  around  him. 

These  children  of  the  Sabbath  school  were  the  ones  who  neg- 
lected the  church  in  their  later  years.  They  should  be  taken  into 
the  church  and  made  to  feel  at  home  there.  In  his  own  home  it 
had  never  been  a  question  of  going  to  church  on  Sunday  morning 
any  more  than  it  was  as  to  whether  the  children  should  eat  their 
breakfast  Monday  morning  or  go  to  school.  It  was  the  order  of 
the  household  and  everybody  conformed  to  it. 

He  spoke  also  of  Bible  instruction,  and  regarded  the  mothers  as 
the  best  instructors.  The  mother  had  the  children  for  seven  days 
in  the  week,  and  the  Sunday  school  for  one  hour.  In  Sabbath 
observance  he  found  that  the  mothers  had  a  great  influence  upon  the 
children.     He  had  a  word  for  the   men  who  were   "compelled"  to 


944  CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION. 

work  on  Sunday,  and  said  no  man  \vas  compelled.  No  man  was 
compelled  to  own  stock  in  the  companies  that  were  breaking  the 
Sabbath,  "Give  it  to  them,"  came  from  the  rear  of  the  platform, 
and  the  Doctor  w^ent  on  for  a  moment  more  pouring  hot  shot  at  the 
corporations  that  indulged  in  Sabbath  breaking. 

Mr.  Moody  took  the  floor  as  soon  as  it  was  released  by  Dr. 
Hatfield  and  said  he  would  subscribe  to  most  that  he  had  said,  but 
he  wanted  him  to  pitch  into  the  fathers  as  well  as  the  mothers. 

He  then  told  how  he  had  cornered  a  good  Christian  into  confes- 
sing that  he  had  spent  every  evening  away  from  home — no  matter 
if  it  was  at  praver-meeting  and  church  services — was  away  during 
all  the  day,  and  never  saw  anything  of  his  children,  and  yet  he 
grieved  that  his  children  had  wandered  away  from  him.  No  man 
had  a  right  to  do  this.  No  minister  had  a  right  to  give  up  seven 
evenings  during  the  week  and  reserve  none  for  his  family.  For 
himself  he  always  reserved  Saturday  and  evening  for  his 
wife  and  children,  and  was  very  cross  if  asked  to  give  up  that  day 
to  any  other  purpose.  He  thought  every  man  should  do  this  much 
at  least  for  his  family,  that  he  might  get  acquainted  with  his  chil- 
dren. 

AFTERNOON  SESSION. 
Mr.  Moody  introduced  the  first  subject  and  speaker  of  the  afternoon. 

"  DEVOTIONAL     EXERCISES." 

Rev.  Dr.  W.  M.  Lawrence,  Pastor  of  Second  Baptist  Church, 
Chicago,  spoke  as  follows: 

If  comparisons  are  allowable,  this  question  may  be  considered 
as  one  of  the  most  important  ones  presented  in  the  schedule.  It  is 
certainly  one  of  the  most  difficult  anywhere,  but  especially  in  this 
city  and  vicinity,  and  in  attempting  to  answer  it  I  would  say,  first, 
in  our  plan  of  work  give  the  devotional  meetings  the  place  they  are 
given  in  the  word  of  God.  I  understand  by  devotional  meetings 
the  prayer  gatherings,  and  I  suppose  that  every  minister  and  Chris- 
tian workman  has  some  sort  of  plan  or  some  set  of  principles  run- 
ning through  his  %vork.  His  preaching  service  comes  in  for  some 
part,  his  pastoral  ^vork  comes  in  for  another,  his  benevolent  work 
for  another,  his  public  work  for  another,  and  his  devotional 
work  for  another.  If,  then,  these  are  to  work  in  peace  and  profit, 
let  him  adjust  them  and  prepare  for  them  as  God's  word — his  chart 
indicates. 

I  think  you  will  appreciate  this  point  better  if  you  consider  the 
prevailing  notions  men  possess  who  appear  not  to  have  studied  this 
phase  of  Christ's  ^vork.  Go  into  the  majority  of  our  churches,  and 
what  do  you  find?  A  spacious  audience  room,  carefully  ventilated, 
ample  preparation  for  excellent  music,  seats  that  are  comfortable, 
the  whole  place  easy  of  access,  and  in    every  way,  inviting.     Now, 


CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION.  945 

what  next?  Up  a  long-  alley  and  at  the  back  of  the  building-, 
or  down  cellar,  or  in  the  middle  of  the  church  is  a  room  half  the 
size,  seldom  as  large  as  that,  is  what  is  called  the  prayer  room. 

Sometimes  it  is  in  deplorable  condition.  It  is  so  low  ceiling  it  is 
impossible  to  ventilate  it.  As  a  rule  I  do  not  believe  in  building 
chapels  and  then  the  main  audience  rooms,  but  1  have  sometimes 
thought  it  well  to  let  it  be  done  because  the  people  might  in  that 
way  get  a  good  prayer  room.  The  common  idea  about  the  whole 
thing-  is  that  it  is  a  second-rate  affair. 

Even  the  minister's  conducting  of  the  affair  is  looked  upon  and 
expected  to  be  a  second-rate  affair,  a  slovenly  affair.  And  architec- 
ture and  service  combine  to  teach  the  people  that  the  devotional  ser- 
vices are  secondary,  and,  like  certain  physician's  prescriptions,  may 
be  taken  or  omitted  at  pleasure,  and  they  literally  are.  Now  if  you 
want  to  have  the  meetings  more  profitable  you  must  kill  the  pre- 
vailing notion  regarding  them,  and  this  can  be  done  as  I  have  stated, 
by  showing  what  position  such  meetings  have  in  God's  word. 

And  they  are  recognized  therein.  If  you  want  a  commentary 
on  the  prayer  meeting  take  the  Book  of  Acts.  Before  you  get 
through  the  first  chapter  you  have  two  prayer  meetings.  The  first, 
a  meeting  for  consolation  right  after  our  Lord's  departure.  These 
all  continued  with  one  accord  in  prayer  and  supplication  with  the 
women  and  Alary,  the  mother  of  Jesus,  was  there  and  His  brethren. 
And  the  second  was  to  ask  advice  about  choosing  a  successor  to 
Judas. 

Take  the  next  chapter.  They  are  again  gathered  in  an  upper 
room,  and  suddenly  there  came  a  sound  of  a  rushing,  mighty  wind. 
The  Holy  Ghost  came,  and  the  Church  of  the  Apostolic  day  was 
born,  3,000  men  were  born,  and  where  the  characteristics  of  the 
converts  are  given  in  the  close  of  the  chapter  it  is  said  that  they  all 
remained  steadfast  in  the  Apostle's  doctrine  and  fellowship,  and  in 
breaking  of  bread  and  prayers.  So  the  fourth  chapter  tells  how, 
after  the  release  of  Peter  and  John,  they  went  to  their  own  company 
and  had  prayer  and  a  new  baptism  and  the  Holy  Ghost.  And  you 
will  not  forget  that  after  the  release  of  Peter  by  the  angel  he  came 
down  to  where  they  had  a  prayer-meeting,  and  they  could  not 
believe  that  the  object  of  the  prayer-meeting  had  been  accomplished 
so  soon,  and  refused  to  believe  Rhoda  that  Peter  was  at  the  door. 
And  then  do  not  forget  that  woman's  gathering  at  the  place  for 
prayer  where  the  European  church  was  born,  in  the  heart  of  Lydia, 
and  gather  together  these  instances,  and  tell  me  if  God's  word  as- 
signs to  the  prayer  gathering  any  such  secondary  idea  that  is  so 
common  to-day.  We  elevate  the  sermon  as  though  it  were  the  only 
way  to  reach  a  human  heart;  but  the  sermon  is  the  testimonv  of  but 
one  man;  the  prayer-meeting,  the  testimony  of  many. 


946  CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION. 

^.  Give  it  the  place  in  your  church  work  that  it  has  had  in  the 
experience  of  successful^  Christians.  Where  are  men.  converted  in 
the  prayer-room?  It  is  true  they  are  convicted  under  the  preaching 
— most  of  them,  but  the  sun  that  ripens  this  fruit  is  a  prayer-meet- 
ing.    It  may  be  of  two  only.     But  the  Lord  is  there. 

"And  heaven  comes  down  our  souls  to  greet, 
And  glory  crowns  the  mercy  seat." 

I  heard  recently  that  all*  the  while  Finney  was  preaching  he 
had  a  man  out  praying  for  him.  When  our  brethren  who  are  with 
us  to-day  were  in  Philadelphia  the  meetings  of  power  were  the 
prayer-meetings,  and  observe  the  moments  of  power  at  this  session 
have  been  the  moments  which  we  have  spent  before  the  cross. 
Teach  your  people  in  every  way  that  church  success  is  prayer- 
meeting  success;  that  they  cannot  succeed  without  it.  Teach  them 
what  place  it  holds  in  the  economy  of  church  labor,  and  when  you 
have  reproved  the  false  ideas  regarding  its  importance  you  have 
gone  a  long  ways  towards  making  them  interesting. 

3.  Give  the  people  clear  ideas  of  what  a  devotional  meeting  is. 
If  it  is  anything  it  has  a  purpose  in  it.  They  are  called  sometimes 
"social"  meetings  of  the  church,  but  "social"  should  be- character- 
istic of  all  your  gatherings.  But  the  social  part  of  a  prayer-meet- 
ing is  apt  to  come  when  the  benediction  has  been  pronounced,  and 
people  go  to  get  a  little  dry  religion  and  look  out  for  a  pleasant 
time  afterward.  They  are  devotional  meetings — meetings  where 
all  the  people  give  themselves  into  the  hands  of  the  Lord,  to  realize 
His  presence.  They  are  meetings  for  conversation,  for  confession 
of  Christ,  for  confession  of  sin.  They  are  the  family  meetings  of 
the  church,  where  plans  of  work  are  to  be  broached  and  God's 
wisdom  invoked. 

4.  They  are  the  people's  meetings. 

Let  the  leader,  whoever  he  may  be,  remember  that  his  place 
is  guide.  Especially  let  him  consider  this  in  the  selection  of  his 
topic,  so  that  it  shall  have  some  relation  to  the  life  of  his  people  that 
week.  To  engage  the  attention  of  the  people  upon  the  condition  of 
the  inhabitants  of  Alaska,  when  God  is  pouring  out  His  Spirit  upon 
the  Sunday-school  is  folly.  Let  the  topic  be  born  out  of  the  v'ery 
life  of  the  people.  Let  the  condition  of  the  church  give  rise  to  the 
topic,  and  you  will  have  something  that  everybody  has  been  think- 
ing about.  Of  course,  if  nothing  special  suggests  itself,  a  topic  from 
some  topic  book  may  be  shown,  but  I  never  would  follow  any  topic 
simply  because  it  was  in  the  book. 

Another  thing,  do  not  be  too  formal  nor  too  exhaustive  in  your 
opening  remarks,  or  you  will  get  more  than  you  aim  for.  I  do  not 
say  that  a  man  should  only  talk  so  long.    That  depends — ten  minutes 


CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION.  947 

may  be  too  short  or  too  long,  according  to  circumstances.  His 
opening  should  be  like  a  lever  to  turn  on  the  power,  and  if  a  foot 
will  do,  all  right.  Some  places  need  more  than  others,  but  be  sure 
you  have  something  for  somebody  else.  One  reason  I  never  can 
get  any  help  out  of  these  books  on  Bilile  readings,  etc.,  is  because 
they  help  too  much.  I  have  read  so  hard  to  keep  up  with  them  that  I 
haven't  any  strength  left  to  go  alone  and  then  try  to  keep  the  people 
reasonably  close  to  the  topic.  If  the  Lord  puts  a  thought  into  a 
man's  heart  or  a  song  into  a  man's  he^frt  it  ought  to  come  "out,  and  I 
venture  to  affirm  that  it  will,  if  the  Lord  puts  it  there,  have  some 
relation  to  the  topic,  if  that  is  also  from  the  Lord.  But  my  trouble 
is,  I  announced  a  topic  and  nobody  for  some  time  seemed  inclined 
to  respect  it  or  to  talk  upon  it,  but  a  few  kind  words  and  a  great  deal 
of  perseverance  have  accomplished  much.  And  further,  remember 
to  encourage  all  to  come  to  prayer.  I  say  encourage,  because  no 
one  wishes  to  come  to  anything  as  a  criminal.  Encourage  the  bus- 
iness men;  take  them  individually;  show  them  how  they  need  it, 
how  their  Christian  strength  will  be  increased;  how  their  souls  w\\\ 
obtain  rest,  and  do  this  especially  if  you  live  in  a  city  where  it  is  the 
flishion  to  seek  rest  anywhere  but  in  God's  house.  What  sight  more 
efTective  than  to  see  a  young  man  and  his  employer  in  the  same 
prayer-room  ?  And  finally,  look  out  for  the  working  of  the  spirit 
in  every  meeting;  you  expect  it  in  some  way,  not  in  all. 

Dr.  Lawrence,  through  Mr.  IN'Ioody,  asked  Mr,  Sankey,  before 
leaving,  to  sing  hymn  378,  "Beyond  the  Smiling  and  the  Weeping," 
one,  the  people  were  reminded  by  Mr.  Moody,  that  was  held  a 
favorite  by  President  Garfield. '  So  the  song  was  tenderly  sung, 
Mr.  Sankey  being  assisted  in  the  refrain  by  a  lady's  voice  that  proved 
a  very  tuneful  coadjutor. 

Mr.  Charles  M.  Morton,  pastor  of  Railroad  Chapel,  then,  as  the 
assigned  ten-minute  sj^eaker  on  the  above  topic,  advanced,  and  began 
by  saying  that  it  was  the  world's  verdict  that  prayer  meetings  were 
not  interesting.  Whenever  they  were  interesting  it  was  the  excep- 
tion. The  world  had  only  grace  enough  to  enjoy  that  which  was 
interesting.  There  was  a  grand  little  band  in  every  prayer  meet- 
ing ready  to  bear  their  part  in  w^hatever  came  up.  In  most  prayer 
meetings  we  knew  every  one  who  was  going  to  pray,  and  what 
they  were  going  to  pray  about. 

The  only  question  was  as  to  how  long  they  would  pray.  He 
had  been  in  such  prayer  meetings,  and  he  thanked  the  Lord  that  he 
did  not  live  in  the  town,  so  that  he  would  have  to  attend  such  meet- 
ings all  the  time. 

In  every  prayer  meeting  there  were  men  and  women  capable  of 
doing  good  work.  But  something  must  happen  to  break  the  ice 
and  bring  these  to  the  surface.    The  men  who  sprang  to  the  surface 


948  CHRISTIAN    CONVEXTIOX. 

soon  after  beang  converted  were  the  men  who  did  the  best  work. 
John  B.  Gough  said  he  had  as  much  diffidence  now  in  appearing 
before  an  audience  as  he  did  \vhen  he  first  began  work  in  the  lec- 
ture field.  But  when  he  began  to  speak  he  was  all  the  better  for 
his  diffidence. 

JVIr.  Morton  then   gave   his   own   experience   in   being  converted 
under  the  preaching  of  Moody. 

The  leader  of  the  meeting  should  have  a  great  deal  of  common 
sense.  Common  sense  and  flie  Holy  Spirit  in  such  places  were 
generally  found  together.  The  leader  should  only  make  sugges- 
tions, so  that  the  others  might  take  them  up.  But  too  often  the 
leader  talked  for  half  an  hour,  exhausting  the  subject,  and  leave 
nothing  for  others  to  say.  He  had  seen  leaders  in  the  noon  meet- 
ings in  Farwell  Hall  talk  for  thirty-five  minutes,  and  then  sit  down 
and  ask  the  brethren  to  be  brief.  He  thought  that  to  do  that 
required  a  good  deal  of  cheek.  It  was  just  like  when  he  was  a  boy 
and  had  to  wait  when  there  was  company.  He  was  posted  at  the 
door  to  see  if  there  was  anything  left  for  the  children,  and  he  gen- 
erally found  that  there  Avas  not  much.  The  leaders  used  up  all  that 
was  good  and  left  only  the  chafF  and  middlings  for  any  who  fol- 
lowed him. 

Then  there  should  be  care  in  the  selection  of  hymns  to  be  sung. 
These  were  too  often  wholly  out  of  order  in  the  meeting.  There 
w^ere  some  hymns,  he  thought,  that  were  mere  stuff  anyway,  and  fit 
for  no  meeting.  For  instance,  "Plunged  in  a  gulf  of  dark  despair." 
There  \vas  no  comfort  or  enjoyment  in  singing  such  hymns. 

The  prayers  should  be  short  and  for  each  other  rather  than  for 
something  they  knew  nothing  about.  It  did  a  man  a  great  deal  of 
good  to  hear  himself  or  his  friends  prayed  for.  It  made  him  feel 
that  his  friends  thought  of  him. 

The  next  topic  and  speaker  were 

"methods    of    ORGANIZATION    FOR    RELIGIOUS    WORK." 

!Mr.  William  Revnolds,  of  Peoria,  Illinois,  spoke  as  follows  on 
this  subject: 

He  supposed  that  there  were  hundreds  of  people  in  the  audience 
whose  pleasure  had  been  somewhat  marred  because  there  had  not 
been  present  others  whom  they  would  have  liked  to  have  had  their 
own  enjoyment  of  this  great  feast.  He  supposed  that  there  were 
possibly  hundreds  of  ministers,  who  as  they  had  been  sitting  in  the 
meeting  during  the  session  of  the  convention,  had  been  longing  and 
wishing  that  the  people  could  be  with  them  to  hear  all  the  things 
that  had  been  said  and  enjoyed. 

He  would  not  attempt  to  theorize.  What  he  would  hav^e  to  say 
would  be  of  a  very  practical  character,  and  everything  that  he  should 


CIIRISTIAX    CONVENTION.  949 

advocate  would  be  things  that  he  had  tried  and  found  to  succeed. 
If  he  was  to  take  a  text  for  his  remarks  he  would  take  two,  as  fol- 
lows: "Go,  son,  work  in  mv  vinevard,"  and  "To  ever^-  man  his 
work." 

God  never  said  work  to  any  one  excepting  to  His  children,  to 
those  to  whom  He  had  given  the  power  of  becoming  sons  of  God. 
God  expected  service  from  none  but  His  children.  The  speaker 
thanked  God  that  there  was  as  much  Christian  activity  in  the 
churches  as  there  existed  to-day.  There  never  had  been  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  world  so  much  Christian  effort  as  now,  as  there  was  at 
this  hour.  In  this  State  of  Illinois  alone  there  were  60,000  men  and 
women  teaching  God's  word  in  the  Sabbath  school.  In  this  Union 
there  were  7^0,000  of  its  best  men  and  women  teaching  voluntarily, 
without  money  or  price,  God's  word.  But  only  a  fragment  of  the 
church  were  doing  its  work. 

What  could  be  done  to  develop  workers  out  of  the  idle  element 
of  the  church?  We  had  the  talent,  the  men  and  women,  the  brain 
and  heart  of  the  countr}-,  and  the  world  inside  the  church,  that  we 
might  use  and  that  would  be  wilhng  to  be  used,  if  they  knew  what 
to  do,  if  properlv  pursued.  How  could  we  make  them  realize  their 
responsibility  and  stir  them  up  to  do  their  duty,  or  what  it  is  rather 
their  privilege  to  do,  for  it  ought  to  be  a  privilege  to  work  for  Him 
who  died  for  us — saved  us  by  His  blood. 

As  a  result  of  the  convention,  the  speaker  expected  that  better 
sermons  would  be  preached  next  Sunday  throughout  all  the  North- 
west than  had  been  preached  for  three  years,  perhaps  for  five  years 
past,  and  he  thought  the  theme  of  them  would  be  what  the  preach- 
ers had  seen  at  the  convention.  He  advised  every  minister  to  tell 
what  he  had  seen.  They  should  not  let  the  melted  ore  cool,  but  go 
to  work  at  once  when  thev  had  stirred  up  their  congregation,  and 
mould  their  people  into  workers.  Tvlany  failed  to  do  this.  That 
was  the  trouble.  They  were  stirred  up  by  a  good  stimulative  ser- 
mon, but  let  its  effect  cool  till  its  influence  was  lost.  What  was 
wanted  was  organization.  They  had  been  told  the  day  before  that 
it  was  the  best  organized  political  party  that  won  in  a  campaign. 
The  best  organized  army  won  the  battle.  Many  of  our  churches 
were  said  to  be  like  great  religious  mobs.  They  came  together  and 
went  away ;  and  nothing  was  accomplished. 

Wesley  and  Whitfield  were  mighty  men  in  the  last  century. 
What  was  the  result  of  their  work?  Where  now  were  the  results 
of  Whitfield's  works?  Largely  in  heaven,  sitting  at  the  right  hand 
of  God. 

What  did  Wesley  leave?  Not  so  great  a  man  as  Whitfield, but 
what  was  the  result  of  his  work?  The  grandest  church  in  this 
countrv.     Why  was  there  this  difference  between  the  results  of  the 


950  CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION. 

work  of  these  two  men?  The  difference  lay  between  Wesley's 
organized  work  and  Whitfield's  work  without  organization.  We 
must  put  every  man  into  his  adapted  place  of  work;  not  try  to  make 
every  man  do  the  same  kind  of  work.  Some  men  are  fitted  for 
one  thing,  some  for  another,  and  if  put  into  the  wrong  place  will  be 
sure  to  fail. 

If  a  man  was  found  not  to  succeed  in  one  place  he  should  be  put 
into  another,  and  another,  until  the  right  place  was  found  for  him. 

The  speaker  knew  a  man  once.  He  had  a  big  heart,  a  broad 
face,  and  still  a  broader  smile,  but  he  had  a  most  wonderful  faculty 
of  getting  rid  of  his  Sunday-school  class  [Laughter]  that  he  had 
ever  heard  of.  Now  that  man  has  found  a  place  in  the  church  that 
just  suited  his  talents.  He  was  placed  at  the  door  to  receive  the 
people  as  they  came  in,  and  the  broad  smile  and  the  hearty  manner 
and  his  big  heart  made  him  a  gi'and  success. 

He  was  a  man  of  grace  in  that  church,  because  people  with 
such  welcomes  as  he  gave  them  were  made  to  feel  at  home  in  the 
church,  and  they  came  again.  There  must  be  division  of  church 
work,  and  it  must  be  organized  work  in  every  division.  If  the 
srjeaker  was  looking  for  a  minister  he  would  look  for  a  good 
organizer  in  preference  to  a  good  pulpit  orator,  not  that  he  did  not 
think  highly  of  the  latter,  but  because  organizing  powers  would  do 
more  than  oratorical  powers. 

Every  element  in  the  church  should  be  organized.  They  should 
be  organized  into  three  divisions,  to  be  sub-divided  if  necessary. 
The  first  division  should  be  the  Sunday-school,  for  that  was  the 
right  arm  of  the  church.  The  next  division  should  have  charge  of 
the  missionary  work — going  out  visiting  from  house  to  house. 
That  was  next  in  importance. 

The  third  should  be  the  social  department.  Some  were  specially 
adapted  to  this  work,  though  good  for  nothing  as  Sunday-school 
teachers  or  as  ;v-issionaries.  This  department  was  an  important 
one,  because  the  social  element  in  our  Nation  was  an  important  part 
of  it  and  should  be  administered  to.  A  good  sanctified  laugh  was  a 
good  thing.  If  the  church  wanted  to  keep  the  young  men  and 
voung  women  in  the  church,  it  must  look  well  after  this  depart- 
ment.    The  social  element  must  be  recognized. 

Next,  it  should  be  understood  that  any  one  who  joins  the  church 
joins  with  the  expectation  of  going  to  work,  and  something  suitable 
to  them  must  be  given  them  to  do.  The  school  children  must  be 
turned  into  teachers.  A  young  home  visitor  must  be  sent  with  an 
old  one  to  learn  the  best  methods. 

At  the  close  of  Mr.  Reynold's  remarks  a  duet  was  sung  by  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  McGranahan,  and  afterward  Hymn  102  by  the  congre- 
oation. 


CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION.  951 

The  hour,  4:30,  being  then  aiTived  for  the  opening  of  the 
"Question  Drawer,"  Mr.  Moody  bent  himself  to  the  answering 
of  queries. 

THE   QUESTION   DRAWER. 

The  first  question  was: 

"Is  not  an  association  for  women  as  much  needed  as  that  for  the 
men  in  Christian  work?" 

What  I  have  seen  of  these  associations  in  this  country  and 
Europe,  I  have  found  they  have  much  that  is  good.  These  associa- 
tions reach  the  girls  in  the  city  and  save  them  from  ruin.  When  in 
LiverjDool  I  visited  a  building  which  was  being  erected  there  for 
such  an  association  by  the  women  of  England.  It  is  as  fine  a  build- 
ing as  in  the  city,  and  the  ladies  have  built  it  without  the  assistance 
of  the  men.  It  will  be  opened  next  month.  In  the  several  rooms 
in  that  building  the  girls  of  the  city  who  go  there  to  get  work  will 
be  instructed  in  the  Bible  and  made  good  Christian  women.  They 
are  not  only  taught  on  the  Sabbath  but  during  evenings  through  the 
week.  We  talk  about  the  expense  of  such  institutions.  Why, 
nothing  will  stop  expense  but  death,  and  a  man  who  is  afraid  of 
expense  had  better  die.  I  was  glad  of  the  opportunity  to  go  to  a 
man  the  other  day  and  ask  him  for  $50,000.  He  said  he  had  not 
given  $50,000  in  a  lump  for  a  good  while,  and  he  hesitated.  But 
he  said  he  had  made  it  a  rule  to  give  $500  a  day  to  some  good 
work,  and  he  never  went  to  bed  at  night  until  this  had  been  accom- 
plished.    I  say,  Lord  bless  such  men.     We  need  just  such  men. 

There  are  lots  of  men  in  this  country  who  would  be  much  hap- 
pier if  they  would  give  $500  a  day  for  a  year  or  two  to  some  good 
cause.  It  is  estimated  that  there  are  30,000  fallen  women  in  the  city 
of  Chicago.  I  hope  that  is  not  so,  but  if  it  is  there  is  a  great  oppor- 
tunity for  work  here.  Remember  that  it  is  not  themselves  alone, 
but  they  are  dragging  down  your  sons  to  degradation.  If  there  was 
a  Woman's  Christian  Association  here  to  help  these  women  and  pre- 
vent them  from  going  so  low  it  would  be  a  great  work.  But  Dr. 
Lorimer  knows  more  about  it  than  I  do,  let  us  hear  from  him. 

Dr.  Lorimer  said  he  was  always  ready  to  lend  a  hand  in  Mr. 
Moody's  work.  Talk  about  the  expense  of  such  institutions  as  this 
referred  to,  the  people  should  see  that  it  was  the  wisest  economy  to 
prevent  crime.  There  was  a  Woman's  Christian  Association  in 
Chicago,  but  it  had  no  building  of  its  own  as  it  should.  And  the 
ladies  of  Chicago  should  be  ashamed  that  it  did  not.  There  were 
ladies  of  wealth  here  and  a  building  could  be  ei'ected  without 
trouble.  We  were  talking  too  much  about  women's  rights.  He 
would  not  say  but  he  was  in  favor  of  the  women  having  their  rights. 
He  was  a  great  defender  of  the  purity  of  women.     It  would   make 


952  CHRISTIAX    CONVENTION. 

the  heart  sick  to  show  what  were  the  scant  earnings  of  tlie  girls 
who  come  to  this  great  city  and  found  work.  They  were  so  scant 
that  one  was  surprised  to  know  that  any  people  had  to  clothe  them- 
selves and  live  respectable  on  the  allowance.  And  that  w^as  one  rea- 
son why  they  did  not  live  respectable.  They  did  not  go  into  such 
lives  because  they  liked  it;  they  were  niore  often  driven  to  it.  The 
city  should  have  an  association  to  look  after  these.  In  this  great 
city  it  was  a  shame  that  so  little  was  being  done  for  the  purity  of 
women.  In  Boston  and  New  York  there  were  associations  with 
large  buildings.  The  doctor  hoped  that  something  practical  would 
come  of  this  convention,  and  nothing  better  could  be  done  than  this 
kind  of  work.  The  Christian  people  wantetl  to  impress  upon  the 
world  that  they  were  interested  in  fallen  humanity. 

Mr.  Moody  said  one  thing  had  impressed  him  in  the  old  country, 
and  that  was  the  number  of  institutions  there.  There  were  so  many, 
too,  that  were  carried  on  by  men  and  women  privately.  In  Scot- 
land and  England  there  were  hundreds  of  missions  and  chapels  and 
homes  and  other  like  institutions  supported  by  private  individuals. 
In  Edinburgh  one  lady  had  a  child  hospital,  and  she  not  only  paid 
for  its  support  but  she  visited  it  daily  and  helped  nurse  the  little 
people.  . 

"  Are  we  going  to  get  m(jney  for  all  these  missions?" 

I  heard  a  man  complaining  vesterdav  that  he  had  not  been 
called  to  give  anything  for  a  long  time.  I  have  no  doubt  that  we 
will  get  all  the  money  needed.  I  would  just  as  soon  go  and  ask  a 
man  for  $ ^0,000  as  not.  You  are  not  asking  for  money  for  your- 
self, remember.  It  is  for  the  Lord,  and  you  can  ask  for  it  with 
perfect  good  grace. 

"  Is  it  best  to  have  one  speaker  or  two  at  an  evangelistic  meet- 
ing?" 

One,  by  all  means.  I  have  often  seen  one  man  get  up  and 
make  a  good  impression,  and  another  come  along  and  wipe  it  out. 
It  is  better,  too,  to  have  one  man  right  along  for  several  weeks. 
And  I  want  to  say  right  here — not  to  flatter  you — that  Chicago 
has  to-day  better  and  abler  ministers  than  I  ever  knew  before  in  my 
twenty-seven  years'  knowledge  of  the  place.  I  never  saw  the 
churches  so  well  manned.  Let  us  thank  God  for  such  men.  No 
city  in  the  country  has  so  much  ability  in  her  pulpits  to-day  as 
Chicago.  If  these  men  were  invited  into  the  different  parts  of  the 
city  the)-  would  draw  crowded  houses  and  do  great  good.  They 
would  not,  of  coarse^  care  to  go  to  preach  to  empty  benches,  and  I 
don't  blame  them  for  refusmg  ic  go  to  preach  where  preparation 
has  not  been  made  for  good  meetirigs.  The  greatest  v^ork  that 
had  been  done  in  England  had  been  in  missions,  established  by  the 
Church   of  England.       The   different  churches   in   the   great   cities 


CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION  953 

had  established  these  missions  and  their  different  ministers  left  their 
own  pulpits  for  ten  days  and  gave  this  time  to  the  missions.  Some 
of  them  went  from  one  mission  to  another  and  gave  up  several 
weeks  to  this  work.  The  preachers  of  Chicago  could  be  induced 
to  do  the  same,  and  such  men  as  Dr.  Lorimer  and  Dr.  Hatfield 
would  fill  the  churches  and  convert  many  people. 

Let  the  pastors  on  the  North  vSide,  and  the  South  Side  and  the 
West  Side  change  pulpits,  and  hold  revivals.  There  was  no  danger 
but  that  the  people  would  come  out  to  hear  such  men,  if  the 
speakers  were  well  advertised.  Some  ministers  objected  to  having 
their  names  placarded   on   the  walls,  but  why   should   they  ? 

The  theatres  advertised  their  plays,  and  why  should  not  the 
churches  advertise  their  work.  There  would  be  no  trouble  in  _ 
always  getting  the  people  if  a  little  common  sense  was  used.  There 
were  a  hundred  men  in  Chicago  who  could  preach  the  gospel  better 
than  any  of  the  evangelists  from  abroad.  Mr.  Moody  did  not  think 
that  one  or  two  sermons  a  week  w^ould  convert  Chicago.  There 
must  be  sermons  every  day.  He  then  told  the  story  of  his  own  con- 
version, and  said  he  attended  services  in  Boston  for  weeks,  and 
every  Sunday  he  felt  thrilled  by  what  h^  heard  from  the  pulpit,  but 
before  another  sermon  came  the  effect  of  the  last  had  been  lost. 
Had  there  been  sermons  every  day  he  would  have  been  converted 
much  sooner.  It  was  practical  to  convert  Chicago.  It  was  a  good 
place  to  start  this  new  movement  in.  The  men  who  could  preach 
should  do  nothing  else.  They  should  let  all  the  machinery  of  the 
church  go  and  do  nothing  but  preach.  There  were  men  who  had 
talents  for  different  parts  of  the  work.  Some  were  good  pastors 
and  some  were  capable  of  looking  after  the  machinery,  and  others 
were  good  preachers.  Some  of  the  preachers  were  afraid  of  repeat- 
ing themselves.  He  was  not.  He  believed  in  repeating  a  good 
thincr.  When  a  man  preached  a  sermon  that  moved  the  people  and 
had  good  results,  he  should  repeat  it  to  others  and  see  if  he  could 
not  convert  them.  In  England  good  sermons  were  repeated,  and 
he  remembered  one  place  where  he  saw  it  announced  as  the  4S5th 
night  of  one  service.  When  he  found  that  he  had  a  sermon  that 
the  people  liked  he  would  not  take  the  trouble  to  get  up  another 
until  that  had  been  exhausted.  Those  who  wanted  a  new  sermon 
every  day,  and  were  afraid  of  repeating  themselves,  were  afraid  of 
losing  their  dignity.  They  wanted  to  maintain  their  reputation  for 
learning. 

"  Can  you  tell  us  anything  about  the  Mildmay?" 
I  wish  we  had  a  Mildmay  in   this  town.     The  Church  of  Eng- 
land started  it  several  years  ago.     There  are  training-schools  there 
where  people  are  trained  for  different  works.     There  was  a  training 
school   for  nurses,   and   these   nurses   were  sent   for    all    over    the 


954  CHRISTIAN    CONVEXTION. 

country.  They  were  Christian  women,  and  hy  their  innuence  as 
nurses  were  able  to  do  a  great  deal  for  Christianity. 

Chicago  \vas  a  good  place  for  this  work. 

"  Is  a  person  justified  all  at  once?  " 

Yes.      But  sanctification  is  another  thing. 

"  How  do  you  get  children  interested  in  sermons?  " 

At  my  school  in  Northfield  I  wanted  my  boys  to  hear  Mr. 
Pentecost  preach,  and,  as  it  was  late,  I  was  afraid  they  would  go  to 
sleep.  So  to  keep  them  awake  I  offered  to  give  the  boy  one 
dollar  who  could  remember  most  of  what  he  said.  The  result  was 
they  all  got  note  books  and  pencils  and  began  writing  down  what  he 
said.  Some  of  them  remembered  nearly  evei'y  thing  he  said.  Some 
ministers  give  up  five  minutes  of  their  sermon  to  the  children. 
They  need  not  fear  spoiling  the  sermon.  To  get  hold  of  the 
parents  the  best  way  is  to  get  the  children, 

"  Is  it  well  to  number  converts?.  " 

Elijah  got  into  trouble  by  trying  to  nuniber  Israel.  It  is  best 
to  let, the  Lord  keep  the  record.  It  makes  me  creep  all  over  to  hear 
a  man  tell  how  many  he  has  converted.     It  is  best  not  to  triumph. 

"  Is  there  any  danger  starting  men  into  the  work  too  young?" 

There  is  a  good  deal  of  danger,  in  not  starting  them  to  work 
soon  enough.  Pitt  wa  in  Parliament  at  21  and  was  Prime  Minis- 
ter at  32.  Napoleon  was  younj^  and  Alexander  had  conquered  tl\e 
world  at  32.  There  is  danger  sometimes  in  flattering  young  men 
who  are  at  work  for  Christ  Spiritual  pride  is  a  very  great  injuiy. 
The  young  men  in  Chicago  could  be  used  to  good  advantage. 
They  could  go  out  and  talk  seven  nights  in  the  week  while  the 
minister  preached  but  one.  And  these  young  men  could  reach 
men  who  could  not  be  approached  by  anybody  else. 

"Do  you  believe  in  open  air  preaching." 

Yes ;  but  not  every  man  who  can  talk  is  fit  to  preach  to  open- 
air  audiences.  It  needs  a  peculiar  talent  to  go  there.  He  wants  to 
have  tact,  to  know  how  to  get  along  with  these  people.  These 
meetings  were  attended  bv  shrewd  men,  infidels  and  skeptics,  and 
they  were  always  ready  to  trip  up  the  preacher.  The  man  preach- 
ing to  open-air  audiences  should  not  allow  himself  to  be  drawn  into 
controversy. 

"How  "can  vou  get  the  people  out  to  the  week  day  meetings?" 

Make  them  interesting.  The  prayer-meeting  should  be  made 
interesting.  The  great  work  of  the  church  was  in  the  prayer- 
meeting.  Make  the  prayer  meetings  short  and  pithy.  Send  the 
people  away  hungry  that  will  want  to  come  again.  I  knew  a  man 
once  who  preached  until  he  had  driven  every  soul  away  from  the 
church.  He  said  he  though*  it  was  a  pity  to  stop  as  long  as  he  had 
any  body  to  preach  to. 


CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION.  955 

"What  do  you  mean  by  a  training  school?" 

A  place  where  men  well  along  in  life  could  go  and  study  and 
receive  training  for  religious  work.  They  are  too  old  to  go  off  to 
school.  Thev  need  to  be  prepared  for  the  work  and  they  have  not 
the  time  to  take  a  regular  course  at  the  colleges  and  the  seminary. 
They  are  to  be  taught  in  the  Bible.  In  this  work  of  saving  souls 
we  want  the  laymen  as  well  as  the  preachers.  There  are  hundreds 
of  young  men  in  Chicago  who  would  go  into  such  schools  and  be 
fitted  for  the  work.  We  want  to  train  the  women  too.  In  North- 
field  we  have  a  ladies'  seminary,  and  the  girls  are  educated  for  this  work. 
They  are  the  ones  to  go  to  the  fallen  women.  The  men  have  no 
business  in  such  places.  It  is  the  w'omen,  the  great-hearted,  noble 
w'omen,  who  can  save  their  fallen  sisters,  A  lady  in  Birmingham 
has  devoted  herself  to  this  work,  and  has  rescued  over  300  women. 
It  is  sad  that  Chicago,  with  its  30,000  fallen  women  cannot  be 
reached  and  saved.  Then  men  should  be  taught  in  German  and 
French.  I  would  give  $100,000,  if  I  had  it,  could  I  speak  German. 
There  is  a  great  work  to  bfe  done  there,  and  the  doors  are  open. 
There  is  no  reason  why  there  should  not  be  another  such  a  revival 
there  as  that  started  by  Martin  Luther. 

There  were  other  questions,  but  Mr.  Moody  had  already  used 
up  more  than  his  half  hour,  and  the  audience  was  beginning  to  tire 
of  the  long  session.  The  long  meter  doxology  was  sung,  and  the 
people  dismissed. 

EVENING  SESSION. 

The  feature  of  this  evening  service  was 

MR,  Moody's  sermon. 

His  text  was  found  in  Titus  ii,  11,  12,  13  and  14,  "For  the 
grace  of  God  that  bringeth  salvation  hath  appeared  to  all  men. 

"Teaching  us,  denying  ungodliness  and  worldly  lusts,  we  should 
live  soberly,  righteously,  and  godly  in  this  present  world ; 

"Looking  for  that  blessed  hope  and  the  glorious  appearance  of 
the  great  God  and  our  Savior,  Jesus  Christ; 

"Who  gave  Himself  for  us,'that  He  might  redeem  us  from  all 
iniquitv  and  purify  unto  Himself  a  peculiar  people,  zealous  of  good 
works." 

Mr.  Moody  spoke  as  follows: 

I  want  to  call  your  attention  to  grace  in  a  three-fold  aspect : 
Grace  that  bringeth  salvation;  and  grace  for  living,  grace  for  ser- 
vice; the  grace  of  God  that  bringeth  salvation  as  it  appears  to  all 
men.  He  didn't  send  it,  but  Christ  came  and  brought  salvation,  and 
Christ  is  God's  gift  to  this  world.  He  gave  Him  up  freely  for  us 
all ;  and  if  a  man  is  lost  it  is  because  he  spurns  God's  gift,  because 
he  won't  take  Christ  as  his  Savior. 


956  CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION. 

Now,  salvation  is  as  free  as  tlie  air  we  breathe.  I  believe  that 
in  Christendom  where  the  gospel  is  preached,  more  men  are  kept 
out  of  the  kingdom  of  God  because  they  are  trying  to  merit  salva- 
tion by  their  works  and  their  own  virtue  than  any  other  one  thing. 
Now  it  is  "To  him  that  worketh  not,  but  believeth."  I  will  admit 
salvatioji  is  worth  going  around  this  world  on  our  hands  and  knees 
for  it,  it  is  worth  climbing  its  mountains,  swimming  its  rivers,  and 
going  through  its  deserts — but  we  are  not  going  to  get  salvation  in 
that  way,  but  we  must  take  it  on  God's  terms,  and  that  is  as  a  gift. 
We  w^ork  because  we  are  saved — not  to  be  saved.  When  we  work 
to  be  saved  we  work  away  from  the  cross  and  not  toward  it.  After 
salvation  is  ours  we  are  ready  to  work.  A  good  many  men  are  try- 
ing to  work  to  heaven,  and  throw  this  passage  into  your 
face : 

"Work  out  your  salvation  with  fear  and  trembling." 
How  are  you  going  to  work  out  what  you  have  not  got?  Sup- 
pose you  send  your  boy  to  school  and  tell  him  he  may  spend  $500, 
but  he  has  not  got  it  to  spend — how  can  he  spend  it?  I  gave  my 
boy  this  year  a  part  of  the  garden  to  plant  with  just  what  he  pleased. 
I  said : 

"I  will  give  it  to  you  on  condition  that  you  work  it  out  and  don't 
let  the  weeds  get  the  advantage  of  you,"  and  he  took  it  and  went  to 
work.     Now,  he  had  to  have  it  before  he  could  work  it. 

You  might  as  well  try  to  leap  over  the  moon  as  to  work  out 
your  salvation  in  your  own  name  and  strength.  You  can't  do  it. 
It  is  the  gift  of  God,  and  Paul  says  in  Ephesians,  first  chapter 
and  second  verse: 

"For  by  grace  ye  are  saved.  By  grace  and  not  by  yourselves; 
for  that  is  the  gift  of  God.     Take  heed  lest  ye  should  boast," 

There  is  a  good  deal  of  boasting  in  Chicago,  but  you  will  hear 
nothing  of  that  in  Heaven.  Men  get  suddenly  rich  here,  and  they 
will  tell  you  how  they  came  here  poor  boys  and  got  rich,  and  they 
are  very  proud  of  the  money  they  have  accumulated.  But  when 
you  come  into  the  kingdom  of  God,  all  boasting  is  excluded.  We 
have  got  to  come  as  a  beggar.  Some  one  has  said  that  if  you  come 
to  God  as  a  beggar  you  will  go  away  as  a  prince,  and  if  you  come 
to  Him  as  a  prince  you  will  go  away  as  a  beggar.  Now,  there  is 
no  apostle  who  has"  said  so  much  about  works  for  salvation  and 
about  salvation  as  Paul. 

A  man  ought  to  work  day  and  night  if  he  is  saved ;  he  ought 
not  have  a  lazy  hair  in  his  head  or  a  lazy  drop  of  blood  in  his 
veins.  What  had  Saul  ever  done  up  to  the  time  Christ  met  him? 
He  had  done  everything  that  he  could  to  stamp  out  Christianity. 
He  was  then  in  the  very  act  of  going  to  Damascus  to  take  every  one 
lie  could  find  that  called  upon  Jesus,  and  bind  them   and   kill  them ; 


CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION.  957 

but  Christ  met  him,  and  He  dealt   in   Grace  with   him.     The   voice 
that  he  heard  out  of  Heaven  was  the  voice  of  love: 

"  Saul,  Saul,  why  persecutest  thou  Me?" 

And  the  hard  heart  of  Saul  was  broken,  and  he  was  ready  to 
receive  the  crucified  Christ,  and  instead  of  going  to  crucify  Christ, 
he  went  to  praise  and  glorify  God.  I  was  in  a  Southern  city  awhile 
ago,  and  a  minister  pointed  out  in  the  congregation  a  man,  and 
told  me  his  history.  When  the  war  broke  out  he  lived  on  the 
other  side  of  Mason  and  Dixon  line,  and  of  course,  he  joined  the 
Southern  army.  He  was  arrested  as  a  spy,  and  was  tried  by  court- 
martial  and  was  condemned  to  be  shot.  In  the  cell,  waiting  to  be 
executed,  every  time  the  soldiers  took  in  his  rations — it  seemed  as 
if  he  laid  awake  nights  to  heap  up  names  against  Abraham 
Lincoln.  It  made  the  soldiers  angry ;  and  at  last  they  got  so  mad 
they  said  they  would  be  glad  when  the  bullet  went  through  his 
heart. 

They  would  like  to  have  silenced  that  tongue,  and  they  wanted 
to  let  him  starve  to  death.  One  day  an  officer  came  to  the  man. 
He  was  still  full  of  bitterness,  and  he  expected  the  officer  had  come 
to  order  him  out  to  be  shot.  When  the  officer  came  in  he  com- 
menced again  against  Abraham  Lincoln,  but  the  officer  handed  him 
a  pardon,  signed  by  the  President  of  the  United  States,  Abraham 
Lincoln.  The  man  looked  at  the  pardon,  and  then  broke  down  and 
wept  like  a  child.  He  said:  "Abraham  Lincoln  pardoned  me,  that 
never  spoke  a  good  word  for  him."     The  officer  said: 

"You  have  some  good  friend  in  Washington,  and  he  has  got 
Mr,  Lincoln  to  pardon  you." 

And  the  minister  said  : 

"There  is  no  man  in  the  country  that  is  more  reverent  to  the 
memory  of  Lincoln  than  that  man."     • 

That  is  grace.  There  is  not  a  man  in  Chicago  that  salvation  is 
not  offered  to,  "Whosoever  will,  let  him  come  and  partake  of  the 
water  of  life  freely."  And  do  you  know  that  is  the  last  invitation 
let  down  into  this  thirsty  world.  I  can  imagine  after  Paul  had 
written  his  letter  that  the  Master  Eye  could  see  that  somebody 
would  be  stumbling  over  the  doctrine  of  election,  and  would  be  in 
despair  because  they  were  not  of  the  elect.  John  was  in  the  spirit 
on  the  Lord's  day  in  Patmos — and  what  a  day  that  must  have  been 
for  John  when  he  heard  that  old  familiar  voice.  For  sixty  years  he 
had  not  heard  it,  and  when  that  gentle  hand  was  again  laid  upon 
him  how  it  must  have  thrilled  him. 

And  he  heard  that  sweet,  silver  Voice  saying : 

"John,  write  these  things  to  the  church !"  And  he  took  up  his 
pen  and  wrote.  And  the  Voice  said:  "Put  in  one  more  invitation 
before  you  seal  up  the  book!"     And  this  is   the   last  invitation  let 


958  CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION. 

down  into  this  world:  "The  Spirit  and  the  bride  say,  Come.  Let 
him  that  heareth  come."  And  lie  wrote,  and  the  Voice  again  said : 
"Put  this  in,  '  Wliosoever  will,  let  him  come  and  take  of  the  water 
of  life  freely."  Friend,  will  you  take  it  to-night?  It  is  freely 
offered.  I  read  soine  time  ago  of  a  Sunday  school  teacher  who  had 
a  class  of  little  boys,  and  he  had  a  silver  watch,  and  he  offered  it  to 
the  largest  boy  in  the  class,  and  says:  "Take  that  watch;  I  give  it 
to  you."  And  the  little  boy  laughed  at  him  and  wouldn't  take  it. 
And  he  offered  it  to  the  next  one,  and  the  next  one,  and  when  he 
got  to  the  smallest  boy  in  the  class  the  little  fellow  reached  up  and 
took  it.  [Laughter.]  The  teacher  said:  "Keep  it  and  put  it  in 
your  pocket,  you  have  taken  me  at  my  word.  Take  it  home.  It  is 
yours.  Don't  bring  it  back  to  me."  And  the  rest  of  the  class  says: 
"Teacher,  you  didn't  mean  that.  You  didn't  mean  to  give  him  that 
for  good  ?" 

"  Yes,  I  did,"  said  the  teacher. 

"Oh!  if  we  had  known  that,  we  would  have  taken  it.". 
(Laughter.) 

You  would  not  have  to  go  out  of  Chicago  or  out  of  Farwell 
Hall  to-night  to  see  that  boy.  When  we  speak  to  you  about  this 
unspeakable  gift,  there  is  not  a  man  in  this  hall  that  would  turn 
from  it  if  he  thought  the  gift  was  in  his  reach. 

Now  let  me  pass  to  the  second  head :  "  Grace  for  living,"  teaching 
us,  denying  ungodly  lusts,  etc.  Now,  dear  friends,  I  believe  a  good 
many  people  get  the  gift  without  getting  light.  They  don't  get  it 
in  all  its  benefits.  He  came  that  we  might  have  life  more  freely 
and  more  abundantly,  and  I  believe  that  there  are  hundreds  and 
thousands  of  our  church  members  who  are  like  Lazarus  when  he 
came  out  of  the  sepulchre.  They  are  boiuid  hand  and  foot,  \vith  a 
napkin  around  their  mouth- — they  can't  speak.  They  are  without 
power  to  use  their  tongues.  Jesus  came  that  we  might  have  grace 
in  all  its  fullness,  and  that  we  might  have  life  abundantly,  and  if  we 
b.ave  not  got  it  there  is  no  one  to  blame  but  ourselves.  He  says : 
"  Boldly  come  out  and  get  help  in  the  time  of  need."  Is  it  not  the 
time  of  need  now?  Do  you  mothers  not  need  grace  to  train  vour 
children  for  time  and  eternity?.  Don't  you  laymen  need  God  to 
dn-ect  you  in  your  business?  O,  I  pray  most  fervently  that  the  low 
standard  in  the  church  of  God  may  be  raised.  If  we  could  only 
get  the  standard  higher  and  get  filled  with  the  grace  of  God  we 
^^^ould  see  marvelous  results.  I  do  not  fear  the  opposition  outside 
of  the  church  one-half  that  I  fear  the  low  standard  in  the  church. 

I  fear  the  casting  of  shadows  around  the  heart  of  the  word  of 
God  a  thousand  times  more  than  the  Roman  spear  that  went  to  His 
heart  These  so-called  friends  of  the  cross,  and  yet  its  enemies,  by 
their    worldly    lives  !     They   have  the    name,  but    not  the    power. 


CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION.  G59 

"Teaching  us,  denying  ungodliness  in  every  shape,"  He  died  for 
that  very  purpose — that  he  might  redeem  us  from  all  iniquity,  and  I 
do  pray  earnestly  that  this  convention  may  result  in  a  higher  stand- 
ard of  Christian'  life  right  here  in  Chicago.  I  said  to  my  friend, 
Mr.  Sankey:  "I  don't  know  but  we  might  better  go  up  and  preach 
to  Christendom,  and  go  right  through  the  church,  and  preach  to 
you  Christ  and  His  grace  than  to  sinners."  Whenever  you  have 
seen  the  church  setting  its  face  toward  Bethel,  and  coming  out  of 
Shechem,  and  out  of  Egypt  and  coming  up  to  Bethel,  the  power  of 
God  seems  to  fall  upon  the  ungodly,  and  the  churches  are  crowded 
with  men  inquiring  the  way  to  Zion.  What  we  want  is  more 
grace.  If  you  ask  me  what  the  church  of  God  needs  more  than 
anv  other  thing,  I  would  say  ^r^ce,  that  we  might  live  to  adorn  the 
doctrine  of  Jesus  Christ. 

Now,  you  find  a  great  many  people  in  bondage  and  in  constant 
fear.  They  are  in  fear  that  -death  is  going  to  be  dark  and  terrible, 
and  things  before  them  are  dark  and  gloomy. 

Dr.  Bonner  made  this  remark  some  time  ago,  that  gave  me  a 
great  lift.  Once  in  a  while  a  sentence  from  a  child  of  God  will  be 
like  a  flood  of  light.  He  made  the  statement  that  "Tnere  is  noth- 
ing before  the  true  believer  that  is  not  glorious."  If  we  get  that 
into  our  minds  we  would  not  be  so  sad,  cast  down  and  gloomy. 
And  if  you  will  show  me  a  church  that  is  full  of  joy  and  gladness  I 
will  show  you  a  church  that  God  has  used.  And  if  we  can  only 
realize  that  everything  before  us  is  glorious,  we  would  be  of  good 
cheer,  and  we  would  sing  songs  of  gladness.  I  went  to  my  Bible 
and  I  found  our  garments  are  to  be  grace  and  glory,  our  songs  are 
to  be  songs  of  glory,  our  home  is  to  be  the  home  of  the  glorified, 
and  our  I'est  is  to  be  glory.  This  vile  body  is  to  be  fashioned  as 
His  glorious  bodv.  "Ah,"  some  of  you  say,  "Death!"  Well, death 
is  onl}-  the  gateway  of  immortality.  It  is  through  the  portals  of 
death  that  we  pass  into  everlasting  life.  All  that  death  can  do  to 
the  true  believer  is  to  take  down  the  house  and  put  him  into  a  fa  rbet- 
ter  one;  a  body  that  cannot  be  tainted  by  sin;  a  body  like  His  own. 
Speaking  about  death,  I  think  that  the  twenty-third  iPsalm  is  more 
misquoted  than  any  other  one  thing  in  the  whole  Bible. 

How  many  times  I  have  heard  people  get  up  in  our  social  prayer 
meetings  and  quote  the  verse  in  that  psalm: 

"Yea,  though  I  walk  through  the  dark  valley" — and  then  empha- 
size "dark."  Do  you  know  dark  is  not  in  it.  It  says:  "Yea,  thougn 
I  walk  through  the  valley  of  the  shadow."  Did  you  ever  see  a 
shadow  where  there  was  not  light?  Put  out  the  light  in  this  hall; 
go  down  into  a  cellar,  and  sec  if  there  is  a  shadow.  All  that  death 
can  do  is  to  throw  its  shadow  across  our  path.  Well,  a  shadow 
don't  hurt  us.     We  can  walk  right  through  a  shadow. 


960  CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION. 

Dear  friends,  what  we  want  is  to  live  in  the  power  of  the  gos- 
pel, and  we  haven't  a  thing  to  fear  in  Hfe  or  in  death.  If  we  could 
get  more  of  the  grace  of  God,  that  shall  lift  us  up  above  all  these 
circumstances.  People  say:  "Well,  you  don't  know  the  difficulties 
and  trials  I  have.  You  don't  know  the  circumstances  that  surround 
me."  Well,  my  friends,  what  does  the  psalm  say  ?  "As  thy  day 
is,  so  shall  thy  strength  be.  My  grace  is  sufficient  for  thee  "  And 
if  He  had  grace  enough  to  carry  the  twelve  apostles  in  such  a  tri- 
umphant way  at  the  end,  has  He  not  grace  to  carry  us  to  the  end. 
Talk  about  our  sufferings!  What  are  our  sufferings  to  the  suffer- 
ings of  the  early  church? 

I  don't  know  but  that  if  the  sufferings  of  martyrdom  were  to 
come  again  it  would  be  better  for  the  church  of  God.  It  would 
burn  out  this  luke-warm  spirit  that  is  with  us.  In  the  second 
century  a  king  told  a  martyr  that  if  he  didn't  recant  from  his 
Christian  belief  he  would  banish  him,  and  he  said:  "Oh,  king,  you 
can't  banish  me  from  Christ,  because  I  am  with  Him  to  the  end  of 
time."  The  king  said:  "I  will  take  your  property  away."  He 
said:  "M}"  treasures  are  upon  high  and  you  can't  get  at  them." 
The  king  stamped  his  foot  on  the  ground,  and  shouted :  "  I  will 
kill  you."  And  he  says:  "You  can't;  I  have  been  dead  forty  years 
in  Christ."  What  can  you  do  with  such  martyrs  as  tliat?  Let 
t^ie  king  take  his  life;  he  would  only  be  in  glory  in  the  presence  of 
the  King. 

Now  I  come  to  the  third  head.  There  is  grace  enough  if  we 
will  only  eat\vhat  bread  God  gives  us.  He  died  that  He  might  redeem 
us  and  make  us  a  peculiar  people,  jealous  of  good  \vorks.  I  hope 
the  people  of  this  convention  will  be  stirred  up  to  good  ^vorks.  If 
we  can  only  light  up  our  torch  and  go  to  our  different  fields  of 
labor,  this  convention  will  do  us  more  good  than  any  convention 
ever  held  in  the  Northwest. 

Here  are  representatives  of  the  whole  Northwest,  and  God  can 
use  the  weakest  saint  here,  if  you  are  only  willing  to  be  used. 
Some  one  sent  me  a  tract  entitled,  "  What  is  That  in  Thy  Hand?  " 
I  liked  the  title,  aixl  it  brings  out  this  thought:  When  God  called 
Aloses  to  go  down  into  Egypt,  Moses  began  to  excuse  himself.  At 
last  God  said,  "  AVhat  is  that  in  thy  hand?"  It  was  a  rod  which 
Moses  had  cut  from  a  bramble  bush,  probably  to  help  him  tend  his 
sheep.  And  God  said:  "  With  that. ye  shall  deliver  the  children  of 
Israel."  I  can  imagine  ISIoses  starting  down  into  Egypt  and  meet- 
ing some  freethinker  who  had  been  acquainted  \yith  him.  He  said 
to  Moses: 

"  Moses,  where  are  you  going  ? " 

"  I  am  going  down  to  Egypt." 

"  What  are  vou  Sfoingf  down  there  for?  " 


CHRISTIAN    COXVEXTION.  961 

"  To  bring  up  three  million  of  bondmen." 

"  Do  you  think  Pharaoh  will  let  them  go?" 

"  I  don't  know.     I  will  bring  them. 

"  Where  is  your  army  ?  " 

"  I  have  no  army." 

"  What  will  vou  do  it  with?  " 

'-  With  this  rod." 

Why,  he  would  have  thought  the  man  was  clean  crazy,  but  bear 
in  mind  God  had  linked  His  almighty  power  to  that  rod.  He  had 
given  His  word  that  Moses  should  deliver  the  children  of  Israel.  I 
suppose  the  king  looked  upon  the  rod  with  a  great  deal  of  con- 
tempt, but  ^vhen  he  refused  to  let  the  children  of  Israel  go,  Moses 
turned  the  waters  into  blood  with  it,  and  he  brought  plague 
upon  the  Egyptians  with  it,  and  when  he  stretched  that  rod 
out  over  the  waters  of  the  Red  Sea,  the  mighty  host  of  God  passed 
through  dry  shod.  When  thev  wanted  water  in  the  wilderness  He 
struck  the  rock  with  that  rod  and  a  pure,  beautiful  stream  flowed 
out,  and  the  weary,  thirstv  multitude  were  revived  by  it.  Centu- 
ries have  rolled  away  but  the  story  of  the  rod  has  not  failed  yet. 
Let  us  give  God  what  we  have,  and  not  what  we  have  not  got. 
You  say  you  haven't  much.  Just  use  what  you  have  got,  A  man 
said  some  time  ago  that  he  felt  like  a  mere  cipher.  Just  put  God 
alongside  of  a  cipher  and  it  becomes  a  good  deal.  When  a  man  is 
next  to  nobody  God  will  take  him  up  and  use  him. 

When  the  committee  ot  official  men  from  lerusalem  went  down 
to  see  who  John  the  Baptist  was,  he  said:  "I  am  nobody.  I  am 
nothing  but  a  voice,"  But  when  Christ  came  John  began  to  preach 
down  himself  and  up  Christ,  and  he  was  a  mighty  preacher.  When 
we,  who  are  nothing,  want  to  work  for  Christ,  He  will  use  us. 
Look  at  Joshua  with  his  600,000  men  walking  around  the  walls  of 
Jericho.    SujDpose  you  had  met  him  on  the  seventh  day  and  asked  him  : 

"Joshua,  what  does  all  this  performance  mean.  You  have  been 
walking  around  here  six  davs.     What  are  you  going  to  do?" 

"I  am  going  to  take  the  walls  of  Jericho." 

"You  are?" 

"Yes;  we  will  have  them  down  before  night." 

"Where  is  your  battery ?     Where  is  your  artillery?" 

"Here  with  these  rams'  horns," 

And  they  went  on  blowing  their  rams'  horns  and  down  went 
the  walls  of  Jericho.  If  we  cannot  blow  a  fine  trumpet  let  us  take 
what  we  have,  and  with  a  stammering  tongue,  but  with  a  heart  on 
fire  for  God,  ^ve  can  be  used. 

Take  Gideon.  When  he  marshaled  his  32,000  men,  and  he 
knew  the  Midianites  had  130,000  men,  his  heart  sank  within  him, 
and  he  said : 


962  CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION. 

"What  shall  I  do  with  these  30,000  men  ?" 

But  the  Lord  said:  "You  have  got  too  many.  Take  those 
that  are  afraid  and  send  them  home  to  their  mothers.  Take  two- 
thirds  of  this  audience  of  this  house  and  let  them  go  away,  and  if 
the  rest  of  us  have  God  with  us  we  will  be  more  than  equal  to  the 
whole  number.  Gideon  had  only  10,000  men  left,  but  the  Lora 
said:  "Gideon,  you  have  got  too  many  yet,  take  them  down  to  the 
brook  and  try  them."  And  ali  but  300  rushed  down  to  the  brook, 
and  the  Lord  says: 

"Those  300  men  are  the  men  whose  hearts  will  be  loyal  to  the 
king.     Let  us  have  them." 

The  first  Quaker  said  that  every  Quaker  ought  to  shake  the  coun- 
try for  miles  around  him.  Wesley  said  if  he  had  a  hundred  men 
that  feared  nothing  but  sin  he  would  set  up  the  gates  of  God  on 
earth,  and  I  believe  he  would.  If  you  had  met  Gideon  with  his 
300  men  you  would  have  said : 

"Where  are  you  going?" 

"Going  out  to  meet  those  Midianites." 

"What  have  you  got  to  meet  them  with?" 

"Some  pitchers  and  some  lights  in  them." 

What  a  contemptible  thing,  you  would  think.  But  Gideon 
went  on  and  routed  the  Midianites  with  just  those  empty  pitchers. 
He  used  what  he  had. 

Take  Samson.  He  was  going  out  to  fight  a  thousand  men. 
Suppose  you  had  met  him  and  said : 

"Why,  Samson,  what  have  you  got  to  meet  those  men  with?" 

"The  jaw-bone  of  an  ass." 

I  suppose  he  just  saw  it  on  the  ground  and  picked  it  up,  and  the 
Lord  heljied  him  and  he  slew  a  thousand  men.  Now  if  the  Lord 
can  use  the  jaw-bone  of  an  ass,  can  He  not  use  you?  Will  you  let 
Him  use  you?  I  heard  a  man  in  Scotland  say  that  every  man  in 
Saul's  army  knew  that  God  could  use  him  to  meet  Goliath,  |Dut 
there  was  only  one  man  that  knew  He  would,  and  went  out 
and  slew  Goliath. 

There  is  a  good  deal  of  difference  between  what  God  can  do 
and  what  God  will  do.  I  believe  every  one  here  thinks  God  can 
use  him,  but  how  many  would  take  five  stones  out  of  the  brook 
and  go  out  and  meet  the  giant. 

Samson  was  playing  with  a  shamgard,  I  heard  a  preacher  in 
Glasgow  say,  and  a  man  came  running  over  the  hill  and  said: 
"Six  thousand  Philistines  are  coming  after  you."  Samson  said:  "I 
can  take  care  of  them."  And  he  took  his  oxgoad  and  slew  400  of 
them.     He  used  what  he  had. 

The  Bible  is  full  of  such  instances.  Look  at  the  man  out  there 
in  the  desert  with  but  five  little  barley  loaves   and  two  small  fishes. 


CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION.  963 

I  can  imagine  how  the  disciples,  when  they  were  giving  bread  to 
the  first  man,  gave  him  a  veiy  small  bit,  but  it  held  out,  and  by  and 
by  they  gave  larger  pieces,  and  soon  they  were  breaking  the  loaves 
in  two,  and  giving  every  man  all  he  wanted.  Look  at  that  good 
Samaritan.  Look  into  his  saddle-bags,  and  you  will  find  that  he 
had  but  a  little  oil,  but  it  was  a  pretty  good  thing  for  the  man  that 
fell  among  thieves.  Some  people  would  have  Avanted  to  save  him 
with  sermons,  but  you  have  got  to  have  something  else.  That 
vSamaritan  preached  a  grand  sermon,  when  he  poured  the  oil  into 
his  wounds.  Suppose  he  had  brought  out  a  large  manuscript  or  a 
long  article  on  science.  The  poor  man  didn't  want  that,  he  wanted 
some  one  to  care  tor  him,  and  get  his  arm  under  him  and  lift 
h;m  up. 

ISlany  a  man  in  Chicago  has  fallen  among  thieves  and  among 
drunkards  and  among  harlots,  and  he  ^vants  some  one  to  tell  him 
not  what  a  bad  man  he  is,  but  to  come  to  him  in  pity  and  try  to  help 
hmi  out.  Some  people  carry  a  bottle  of  vinegar,  but  it  is  better  to 
have  oil.  vSometimes  I  think  it  is  better  to  get  above  this  sectarian 
feeling.  You  know  the  Jews  hated  no  people  worse  than  Samaritans. 
They  wouldn't  sell  them  anything.  Yov  know  a  Jew  has  to  hate 
a  man  pretty  well  if  he  wont  sell  to  him.  The  Jews  believed  that 
the  Samaritans  hadn't  even  a  soul.  In  this  parable  of  the  Good 
Samaritan  God  teaches  us  to  rise  above  this  miserable  sectarian 
feeling — shall  we  stop  and  ask  whether  a  man  is  a  Roman  Catholic 
or  a  Protestant? 

If  we  see  a  man  perishing  let  us  hasten  to  his  help,  and  use  what 
we  have  got.  Dorcas  used  onh'  a  little  needle,  but  how  she  set  the 
needle  going  through  the  earth.  Mary  had  an  alabaster  box  of 
ointment.  It  was  not  worth  much,  I  suppose,  but  she  dropped  it 
upon  the  feet  of  the  Saviour,  and  the  fragrance  of  it  is  in  the 
church  to-da\'. 

"I  do  not  know  that  Mary  was  a  strong-minded  woman,  or  that 
she  was  wealthy  as  beautiful;  perhaps  she  did  not  move  in  the  very 
best  societ}-,  but  there  is  one  thing  I  do  know — she  could  love. 
"Wherever  the  gospel  of  the  Son  of  God  is  preached,  that  story  is 
told  out.  I  suppose  Mary  forgot  all  about  herself,  but  she  loved  the 
Master,  and  she  jDOured  that  ointment  out  upon  Him.  Eighteen 
centuries  have  rolled  away,  but  the  name  of  Mary  of  Bethany  is  as 
fresh  as  it  ever  was.  I  suppose  there  is  no  woman's  name  so  fresh 
as  her's,  except  the  name  of  Mary,  the  mother  of  the  Savior.  I  can 
imagine  some  man  when  Christ  was  on  earth,  prophesying  that  that 
story  would  be  told  in  the  nineteenth  century,  and  not  a  man  on  the 
face  of  the  earth  would  have  believed  it.  We  look  back  on  the 
days  of  miracles,  but  we  forget  we  are  living  in  the  days  of  mira- 
cles.    Missionary  societies  in  New  York  and  London   have  put  the 


964  CJIRISTIAX    CONVENTION. 

story  of  Mary  into  250  languages,  and  have  sent  out  millions  of 
copies  of  it.  That  story  will  live  as  long  as  the  Church  of  God  is 
upon  earth.  She  made  herself  immoital  by  that  one  act.  Nothing 
you  do  for  Jesus  Christ  is  small.  We  want  to-day  men  and  women 
who  are  willing  to  do. 

I  suppose  if  these  reporters  had  been  living- in  the  days  of  Mary, 
and  heard  on  the  streets  of  Jerusalem  that  she  had  broken  that  ala- 
baster box  upon  Him,  they  would  not  have  thought  it  was  worth 
noticing;  but  it  has  outlived  everything  else  that  took  place  then. 
If  they  had  seen  that  widow  cast  those  two  mites  into  the  treasury 
of  the' Lord  they  would  have  said,  "There  will  be  no  one  in  Jeru- 
salem that  will  care  for  that." 

But  see!  Eighteen  centuries  have  rolled  away,  and  that  story 
has  outlived  anything  else  that  occurred  there. 

If  a  man  gave  a  thousand  pounds  to  the  temple  the  Jerusalem 
reporters  would  have  published  that  in  their  papers.  [Laughter.] 
When  the  widow  cast  in  her  mite,  the  Lord  saw  her  act,  and  He 
said : 

"She  has  given  more  than  all  of  them." 

If  there  is  heart  in  it,  God  will  accept  your  service.  If  you  have 
only  one  talent,  and  make  use  of  that,  you  will  hear  the  Master  say 
in  the  evening  of  life,  "Well  done."  We  should  never  call  any- 
thing small  that  we  do  for  the  Lord.  When  the  prophet's  servant 
came  back  and  said  he  saw  a  little  cloud  no  larger  than  a  man's  hand 
coming  up  out  of  the  sea  Elijah  knew  what  that  meant,  and  he  said. 

"Make  haste  and  tell  Ahab  to  get  home." 

He  knew  there  was  abundance  of  rain  in  that  cloud.  Have 
you  a  Sunday  school  class?  It  is  a  great  thing  to  be  permitted  to 
be  a  co-worker  with  God.  It  is  a  great  thing  to  have  the  privilege 
of  leading  one  little  ewe  lamb  into  the  kingdom  of  God. 

I  remember  of  being  in  a  place  some  time  ago,  and  I  saw  a 
teacher  who  had  a  class  at  3  o'clock.     I  saiil  : 

"Have  you  a  class  at  3  o'clock?" 

'Oh  !"  she  says,  "I  have  a  class." 

"Were  vou  at  your  class  to-day  ?" 

"No,  sir." 

"Did  ^ou  tell  the  Superintendent  you  would  not  be  there?" 

"No,  "Sir." 

"Did  you  get  a  substitute?" 

"No,  sir." 

"Well,"  I  said,  "did  your  class  have  any  teacher  to-day?" 

"I  think  not,  for  I  saw  a  good  many  teachers  in  the  hall  to  hear 
you." 

"Who  took  her  I'oom?" 

"I  suppose  no  one  did." 


CHRISTIAN    COXVEXTIOX.  965 

"Is  that  the  way  you  take  to  do  the  Lord's  work?" 

"Well,  vou  &ee,'there  are  only  five  persons  in  the  class?" 

Now,  among  that  five  persons,  I  said,  there  may  be  one  who 
might  be  a  reformation  in  himself — a  Wesley,  a  Whitfield,  a  Luther, 
a  ]NIelancthon.  It  is  a  great  thing  to  have  five  human  souls  to 
teach.  Each  one  of  this  class  may  become  a  herald  from  heaven,  a 
blessing  from  abo\e,  and  do  a  hundred  times  move  good  than  you 
can  do.  And  each  man  and  woman  can  well  afi'ord  to  spend  a 
whole  life  to  get  even  one  soul  into  the  kingdom  of  God.  Paul,  who 
brought  Simon  and  Peter  to  Christ.  And  \vhat  did  they?  Peter 
got  three  thousand  at  one  time.  Peter  led  them  to  Christ.  And, 
dear  friends,  you  may  be  instrumentalities  in  leading  some  one  of 
these  thousands  of  foreigners  to  Christ,  and  they  may  go  back  to 
their  older  country  and  be  themselves  the  instruments  of  lighting 
up  their  own  people  with  the  glory  of  God,  and  spreading  around 
the  glad  tidings  of  Christ.  Oh,' that  God  might  take  the  scales 
from  over  our  eyes  to-night  that  we  might  have  the  glorious  luxury 
of  working  for  Him  to-night. 

I  believe  that  there  is  not  an  angel  in  heaven  but  what  would,  if 
they  could  have  the  privilege  of  leading  one  soul  to  God,  would 
come  down  to  earth  to  do  it. 

It  is  a  great  privilege,  a  wonderful  privilege,  to  be  the  instru- 
mentality in  the  hands  of  God  of  leading  one  dear,  precious  soul  to 
God.  Now,  mv  dear  friends  shall  we  not  at  this  hour  come  again 
fresh  to  God?  "We  ourselves  cannot  convert  the  world.  Our  world 
is  not  responsible  to  us.  We  must  simply  be  faithful.  God  will 
judge  our  work  and  reward  us  for  it.  I  believe  that  if  the  archangel 
Gabriel  himself  should  come  down  to-night  and  should  preach  with 
all  the  eloquence  of  heaven  itself  and  every  offer  should  be  held  up 
to  his  hearers,  with  the  glory  of  that  upper  world  painted  before 
them,  there  would  not  be  a  soul  among  them  converted  excepting 
through  the  Holy  Ghost  working  upon  it.  All  we  have  got  to  do, 
dear  friends,  is  to  preach  Christ  crucified  and  tell  the  story  of  the 
cross,  and  the  Lord  will  do  the  rest.  He  will  bless  the  seed  we 
sow. 

Let  us  sow  it  by  the  side  of  the  living  waters.  A  word  spoken 
here  and  a  word  spoken  there  will  be  blessed  of  God  and  souls  will 
be  gathered  up.  The  converting  is  for  the  Lord.  The  thanks 
should  be  to  the  Lord.  Oh  that  we  may  all  be  anointed  afresh  to- 
night, and  that  many  hearts  may  be  kindled  afresh. 

I  see  a  man  sitting  over  there  whom  I  know,  and  I  hope  he  will 
go  back  home  to  preach  with  renewed  strength  from  God.  I  see 
men  from  distant  portions  of  the  West — men  from  St.  Louis.  I 
hope  that  God  will  send  them,  too,  to  work  still  better  than  they 
have  worked  before.     Perhaps   it  is  only  for  a   little   while,  a  few 


966  CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION. 

days,  a  few  weeks,  a  few  months,  that  they  will  have  to  work  in, 
and  then  all  their  chance  for  work  will  be  over.  If  we  are  ^oing 
to  wipe  away  the  bitter  tears  from  the  helpless  widow's  eye,  if  we 
are  goini:^  to' lend  relief  to  that  poor,  fatherless  child,  let  us  make 
haste.  The  dav  wall  soon  be  ended,  the  night  will  soon  be  here. 
There  is  no  time  to  waste.  I  remember  that  when  I  was  in  Liver- 
pool I  made  this  promise:  I  said  to  a  lady  if  you  will  find  four  likely 
boys,  I  will  try  to  have  them  trained  at  Northfield.  I  came  home. 
Only  a  few  weeks  had  passed  away.  I  w^as  ready  to  retire  to  bed 
at  10:30  at  night,  when  I  heard  the  ring  of  the  telephone,  and  I 
sent  to  mv  otfice,  and  the  station  men  telephoned  up  to  me  that 
ther^'  were  three  boys  wanting  me.  I  telephoned  back  to  have 
them  sent  to  a  hotel  till  morning,  and  when  I  w^ent  there  the  next 
morning  I  found  three  brothers  that  were  orphans.  Then  I  remem- 
bered my  promise.  When  I  made  that  remark  in  Liverpool  I  for- 
got all  about  it  in  a  few  minutes  after  making  it.  Even  then  the 
mother  of  these  three  boys  was  dying. 

I  did  not  know  it,  but  God  knew  if  I  did  nut.  Their  flither  had 
been  a  hard-working  man — a  solicitor.  He  had  died  and  left  her  a 
widow  with  three  children — three  boys.  They  came  over  to  me 
well  dressed.  You  could  see  from  their  appearance  that  a  devoted, 
loving  mother  had  lavished  her  affection  upon  them — had  cared  for 
them  with  a  true  mother's  love.  Her  boys  told  me  of  that  mother's 
grief  on  her  dying  bed  that  she  had  to  leave  them,  with  no  one  to 
care  for  them.  Their  mother  was  now  in  the  grave  far  away.  I 
felt  when  these  three  boys  came  to  me  that  I  had  had  given  to  me 
a  great  privilege — the  privilege  of  having  those  orphans  sent  to  me, 
a  gift  from  God.  It  refreshed  my  soul  to  think  that  I  could  look  at 
them,  after  the  promise  I  had  made  at  Liverpool.  It  was  only  a 
■word — a  single  remark — that  dropped  from  their  lips,  but  the  fruit 
of  it  came  back  to  me,  and  the  three  are  now  in  one  room.  They 
have  got  the  photographs  with  them  of  their  loving  mother.  Think 
of  it,  "how  it  all  happened  She  died,  and  the  next  week  they  were 
on  their  way  over  the  sea  to  their  new  home,  and  now  we  are  edu- 
cating and  training  them,  hoping  that  when  prepared  they  may  go 
out  to  foreign  lands  as  missionaries  to  spread  abroad  the  gospel  of 
God  Oh,\vhat  a  blessed  privilege  it  is  to  have  the  privilege  of 
working  for  Christ;  to  have  the  privilege  of  doing  a  little — ever  so 
little.  My  friends,  if  you  do  not  know  what  to  do  go  to  some  one 
older,  some  one  more  experienced  than  youi'selves,  and  find  out  from 
them  what  you  can  best  do. 

If  I  had'a  thousand  working  bodies  instead  of  one,  I  could  find 
work  for  each  to  do.  I  remember  how  I  did  when  I  first  tried^  to 
work  for  the  Lord.  I  did  not  know  much.  I  did  not  know  which 
way  to  turn ;  what  was  the  best  thing  I  could  do.     But  I  did  some- 


CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION.  9G7 

thing.  I  flicl  mv  little  work  the  hest  way  I  coiikl.  Ami  tlien  God 
blessed  me,  and  kept  giving  me  more  and  more  to  do,  until  I  got  so 
much  to  do  that  if  I  had  had  a  thousand  different  bodies  to  work 
with  I  would  still  have  had  enough  to  do.  Now,  dear  friends  if, 
any  of  you  cannot  hold  as  high  a  position  as  you  would  wish  and 
desire  to  hold,  take  such  a  position  as  you  can  get;  go  as  a  bearer 
of  wood,  a  drawer  of  water;  do  anything  that  you  find  that  you 
can  do.  If  you  can  find  nothing  else  to  do,  take  a  loaf  of  bread  and 
visit  the  poor  widow,  and  the  Lord  wnll  reward  you.  "He  that 
watereth  shall  be  w^atered  also  himself,"  and  "the  liberal  soul  shall 
be  made  fat." 

ISIy  friends,  if  you  want  to  get  out  of  the  misery  and  sorrow  and 
gloom  and  sadness  that  are  gathering  around  you,  do  something  for 
the  Lord.  A  w-oman  came  to  me  some  time  ago,  with  a  scowl  on 
her  face.  She  said  to  me,  "Mr.  Moody,  do  you  ever  have  any 
doubts?"  I  replied,  "My  good  woman,  I  do  not  have  any  time  for 
doubts.  [Laughter.]  If  you  work  for  the  Lord  you  will  have  no 
time  to  doubt."  It  is  the  people  who  do  nothing  but  talk  to  them- 
selves and  about  themselves  that  have  time  to  doubt.  My  dear 
friends,  oh,  look  over  the  fields,  and  }'ou  will  see  them  white  for  the 
harvest. 

There  was  a  nobleman  In  England  in  the  last  century.  He  got 
so  that  he  looked  upon  life  as  such  a  heavy  burden  that  finally  he 
wanted  to  throw  It  away.  He  did  not  want  to  live  any  longer. 
But  it  happened  that  he  was  approached  by  a  child  begging  for 
alms.  He  did  not  look  at  the  child.  He  told  him  that  there  were 
eight  of  them  in  the  family ;  that  his  father  and  mother  was  sick, 
and  they  were  starving.  He  said  to  himself:  "  I  might  just  as  well 
give  my  pocket-book  to  the  family,  as  I  shall  not  want  It  any  longer 
now;"  and  so  he  went  to  the  house  and  said  to  them,  "There,  3-ou 
can  have  all  that  Is  In  It,  "  and  the  tears  sprang  up  Into  the  eyes  of 
the  father  and  mother.  They  could  hardly  believe  It.  And  the  joy 
that  was  there  so  touched  him  that  he  said  he  would  call  again  the 
next  day ;  and  he  went  there  on  the  next  day,  and  he  became  the 
most  noted  philanthrojDic  man  of  his  age,  doing  immense  good.  He 
was  saved  by  his  own  good  deed;  and  you  may  be  saved;  and  there 
are  many  men  and  women  In  gloom  and  sorrow  and  misery  and 
sadness  who  may  do  the  work  of  the  Lord,  and  He  will  lift  them 
up  to  the  peace  and  jo}^  of  heaven.  My  friends,  there  Is  plenty  of 
room  In  this  city.  The  fields  are  w'hite  for  the  harvest.  I  would 
say  now  that  I  have  never  seen  a  prouder  day  than  this.  I  think  I 
never  saw  a  better  night  for  the  work  of  the  Lord  than  last  Sunday 
night  at  the  North  Side  church.  They  knelt  down  before  the  Lord 
bv  hundreds.  I  believe  there  will  be  streams  of  salvation  breaking 
out  all  over  the  city  if  the  people  will  go  forward  in  the  work. 


968  CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION 

Shall  we  not  take  the  city  for  Christ?  Friends,  let  us  preach 
and  hold  Him  up.  The  world  cannot  go  on  without  Christ.  The 
world  is  perishing  for  the  want  of  Christ.  Let  us  preach  Him  at 
all  seasons,  in  season  and  out  of  season,  and  the  Lord  will  bless  us 
if  we  go  on. 

Now,  then,  a  great  many  people  are  afraid  of  being  called 
peculiar.  Now  I  would  not  give  much  for  a  man  that  is  not 
peculiar  in  some  way,  I  believe  that  old  Enoch  was  the  most 
peculiar  man  that  ever  lived.  What  kind  of  a  man  was  he,  was 
asked.  Oh,  a  very  good  man,  but  he  would  not  go  to  the  theatre 
on  Sunday  or  any"  other  day.  He  wouldn't  go  to  a  horse  race.  He 
calls  it  an  ungodly  world.  And  so  they  called  him  a  peculiar  man; 
peculiar  in  the  sight  of  theAVorld.  A  good  many  say  that  they  do 
not  want  to  be  called  peculiar.  If  you  had  gone  to  some  one  in 
those  old  days  and  asked  what  they  thought  of  Elijah,  they  would 
have  said  that  Elijah  was  a  good  man  enough,  but  he  was  a 
peculiar  one.  He  would  not  bow  himself  to  Baal.  My  friends,  I 
would  to  God  that  we  had  many  such  men  as   Elijah  with   us  now. 

If  you  had  gone  down  to  Babylon  in  the  days  of  Nebuchad- 
nezzar and  asked  what  kind  of  a  nian  Daniel  was,  they  would  have 
answered  you,  "Oh,  he  is  a  good  man  enough.  He  is  not  a  corrupt 
man.  You  could  not  bribe  him,  but  he  is  a  very  peculiar  man.  He 
prays  three  times  a  day." 

Now  our  business  men  in  Chicago  do  not  have  time  to  pray 
three  times  a  day.  They  have  to  go  on  'Change  and  buy  and 
bargain  and  make  money  and  pile  up  millions.  They  say  they  have 
too  much  business  to  attend  to  to  pray  three  times  a  day.  But  this 
man  Daniel,  who  was  the  prime  minister  of  that  country  and  had 
all  the  business  of  the  State  to  do,  had  time  to  pray  three  times  a 
day  ;  and  who  was  the  great  man  ?  He  or  they  ?  Where  are  now 
the  names  of  the  merchant  2:)rinces  of  Babylon,  or  their  wise  men? 
You  don't  know  the  name  of  one  of  them.  All  have  faded  away 
centuries  ago;  but  the  name  of  Daniel  shines  still  brighter  than  ever; 
and  they  that  turned  away  to  rejoice  in  the  Lord  are,  as  the  stars, 
forever  and  forever. 

Dear  friends,  let  us,  as  we  hasten  to  go  from  this  hall,  say, 
"Lord,  here  am  I,  Lord,  choose  me.  I  lay  myself  at  Thy  feet — 
soul  and  body — a  living  sacrifice  on  the  altar  of  God.  Let  me  hear 
Thy  voice  sending  me  out  into  the  white  fields  to  work  for  Thy 
glory." 


THIRD  DAY  OF  THE  OOISTTEIs'TIOI^. 

MORNING    SERVICE. 

The  day  did  not  break  auspiciously,  but  the  third  day  and  final 
sessions  of  the  famous  Christian  Convention  did — thei^e  was  no 
storm  inside.  The  usual  vast  crowd  assembled,  and  the  usual  pre- 
liminarv  services  of  song  as  fitly  led  up  to  the  work  of  the  initial 
hour.  Prayer  was  offei'ed  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Stimpson,  of  Worces- 
ter, jMass.  and  inspiration  for  the  day  sought  in  that  hvmn  of  hope, 
"Sing  Them  Over  Again  to  Me,  Wonderful  Words  of  Life."  Prayer 
and  stjU  other  singing  ensued,  ]Mr.  Sankey  conducting  in  "More  Love 
to  Thee."  ]Mr.  Moody  then  continued  the  services  by  announcing 
that  Professor  F.  B.  Fisk  would  read  from  the  Scriptures.  Profes- 
sor Fisk  chose  the  twelfth  chapter  of  Romans,  and  forthwith  read, 
at  times  making  brief  comments,  those  concise  injimctions  for  the 
living  of  a  godly  life. 

After  the  singing  of  "Nearer,  my  God,  to  Thee,"  and  after  Mr. 
Sankey  had  sung,  by  request,  that  beautiful  number,  "The  Mists 
Have  Rolled  Away,"  effectively  assisted  by  the  congregation,  Mr. 
Moody  announced  a  necessary  change  in  the  programme,  and  in 
view  of  it  introduced  the  Rev.  Dr.  Herrick  Johnson,  whose  duties 
at  the  Theological  Seminarv  demanded  his  being  heard  in  the  morn- 
ing instead  of  the  afternoon. 

The  topic  was: 

"HOW  CAN  THE  PERSONAL  AND    SOCIAL    STUDY    OF    THE  BIBLE    BE 

INCREASED?" 

Rev.  Dr.  Johnson  said:  "How  can  the  personal  and  social  study 
of  the  Bible  be  increased?"  is  the  way  the  question  is  put.  I  should 
prefer  to  put  it,  "How  can  the  individual  and  associated  study  of  the 
Bible  be  increased?"  Let  me  be  swift  to  say  that  it  has  increased 
in  the  last  decade  beyond  all  precedent,  and  is  increasing.  The 
surest  road  to  future  success  is  by  the  way  of  the  I'ecognition  of  the 
fact  and  method  of  past  success.  I  am  instant  to  say  this  because  it 
has  come  to  pass  in  our  time  that  whenever  any  one  stands  up  before 
an  audience  to  speak  in  reference  to  the  shadows  that  fall  upon  our 
world,  and  to  picture  somewhat  the  dark  side  of  the  truth,  there  is 
969 


970  CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION. 

always  some  one  ready  to  rush  to  the  front  and  exclaim,  "Behold, 
another  pessimist  come  to  judgment.  Lo!  we  have  a  weeping  bul- 
rush, and  now  look  out  for  the  lamentation  of  Jeremiah." 

That  fellow  evidently  thinks  ihat  there  is  no  study  of  the  word 
of  God,  and  he  is  blind  to  the  facts  of  the  hour:  so  I'  am  swift  to 
say  that  there  is  more  study  of  the  word  of  God  than  ever;  that 
more  millions  bend  over  the  word  of  God  to-day,  with  eagerness  to 
get  at  its  contents,  than  have  done  so  in  any  other  age  or  hour  of  the 
world's  history. 

You  may  go  anywhere  and  hear  something  about  the  facts  of 
the  Scripture.  The  best  thoughts  of  the  best  men  of  the  best  races 
are  gathering  their  utmost,  and  are  thus  increasing  the  volume  bear- 
ing them  into  the  track  of  Christ.  Never  before  have  there  been 
so  many  facilities  for  the  study  of  the  word  of  God  furnished,  and 
such  rare  facilities  offered  as  we  have  this  very  hour;  and  never  so 
many  have  there  been  willing  to  employ  these  facilities  for  getting 
at  the  secrets  and  treasures  of  the  holy  word. 

But  saying  this  and  understanding  and  believing  this,  it  is  never- 
theless to  be  admitted  that  there  are  thousands  upon  thousands  who 
never  read  the  word,  or  read  it  only  once  a  day ;  perhaps  late  at 
night  when  worn  with  the  labors  and  toils  of  the  day,  yet  not  willing 
to  sleep,  and  hardly  daring  to  sleep,  unless  they  have  let  their  eyes 
go  down  a  half  page  of  Scriptures.  There  are  thousands  upon 
thousands  in  our  Christian  homes  who  read  it  only  once  a  week — 
on  the  Sabbath  perhaps,  and  in  their  secret  hearts,  believing  that  the 
Bible  is,  after  all,  a  somewhat  stupid  book.  There  are  thousands 
of  thousands  who  used  to  read  it  every  Sabbath,  who  now  never  read 
it,  it  being  blanketed  over  with  that  great  Sunday  refuge  from  ennui, 
the  Sunday  morning  newspaper,  and  the  cause  of  so  much  weak, 
sickly,  sentimental,  formless,  wishy-washy  twaddle.  The  cause  of  so 
much  instability  in  the  Christian  faith  is  a  want  of  familiarity  with 
this  word  of  God.  Nothing  so  largely  puts  good  fiber  into  Christian 
manhood  and  womanhood  as  Scripture  pabulum,  and  we  cannot 
have  the  best  of  this  sort  of  thing  until  we  get  a  more  thorough 
study  of  the  word  of  God  than  we  have  to-day.  And  the  cause  of 
a  great  deal  of  the  latent  power  in  the  church  to-day — a  power  that 
I  believe  is  yet  to  be  developed  over  and  above  anything  that  has 
been  developed  in  the  past — is  the  want  of  familiarity  with  the 
Scriptures. 

How,  then,  can  the  individual  and  associated  study  of  the  Bible 
be  increased? 

Let  me  say  negatively,  i.  By  not  minimizing  its  truth.  We 
cannot  crowd  the  word  of  God  into  "Come  to  Jesus"  and  say  we 
are  preaching  the  word  of  God.  The  commandments  are  as  much 
a    part  of  the    word  of  God    as   any    other   portion.     We    cannot 


CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION.  971 

expect  that  all  will  honor  God's  word  and  secure  its  extended  study 
and  reading  unless  we  are  prepared  to  give  it  full  and  adequate 
proclamation;  and  it  was  my  joy,  therefore,  in  the  opening  session  of 
this  convention  to  hear  Brother  Whittle  emphasize  so  distinctly  the 
importance  of  convincing  men  that  they  are  lost  befoi-e  they  are 
ready  to  be  saved.  The  Scriptures  are  a  saving  balm.  But  what 
is  a  balm  for,  except  for  a  wounded  member,  and  who  will  care 
anything  about  it  unless  he  has  one?  The  Scripture  is  a  lullaby, 
but  it  is  more  than  that.  The  word  of  God  is  quickening,  living 
fire,  sharper  than  imy  two-edged  sword.  Does  the  lullaby  pierce? 
Is  the  sweet  song  a  sword  to  the  spirit?  No.  We  must  not  min- 
imize the  truth  if  we  are  going  to  secure  for  the  word  of  God 
more  attentive  reading  and  study. 

In  the  second  place,  ^ve  are  not  going  to  secure  its  study  by 
mutilating  the  Bible  tearing  out  sections  and  throwing  away  books. 
It  is  a  poor  way  of  getting  a  hearing  for  a  book  to  tear  it  up  into 
parts  and  shy  leaves  at  a  fellow  [Laughter.]  We  cannot  do  what  we 
want  by  tossing  away  jSIoses,  and  flaunting  at  Paul,  and  eulogizing 
Jesus  alone.  If  the  Old  Testament  must  go  the  New  Testament  must 
go,  too.  Moses  and  Jesus  and  Paul  must  stand  or  fall  together. 
Deuteronomy  and  Ezra  and  the  Gospels  and  Epistles  must  stand  or 
fall  together.  For  beginning  at  !Moses  and  the  prophets  the  same 
story  extends  all  through  the  Bible.  The  crimson  thread  of  the 
Old  Testament  and  the  crimson  thread  of  the  New  Testament,  each 
dyed  in  the  blood  of  Calvary,  are  seen,  and  that  thread  stretches 
from  Moses  to  John,  from  John  to  Revelation,  and  all  along  upon 
that  thread  are  strung  the  connecting  links  of  history.  The  course 
of  prophecy  and  history  are  one  and  what  God  has  joined  let  no 
man  tear  apart.  Not  by  mutilating  the  Bible  are  we  going  to  secure 
the  more  general  reading  of  the  Bible. 

Next,  not  by  theories  of  its  origin  which  put  it  on  the  level  of 
the  purest  naturalism  can  the  individual  and  associated  study  of  the 
Bible  be  increased.  Those  books  which  constitute  the  Bible  are  not 
a  natural  development  in  the  order  of  nature.  They  did  not  grow 
like  Topsy.  They  were  made — made  in  sections  by  the  hand  of 
God,  through  His  spirit  working  on  in  the  minds  of  men.  The 
inspiration  of  Moses  Is  not  the  inspiration  of  Newton.  Paul  did 
not  speak  as  Confucius,  or  Zoroaster,  or  Vishnu,  or  Socrates  spoke. 
The  men  of  the  New  Testament  spoke  like  those  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, for  they  spoke  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  men  of  the  New 
Testament  said  that  they  come  with  the  wisdom  that  the  Holy 
Ghost  teaches;  the  men  of  the  Old  Testament  spake  from  God  him- 
self. And  so  we  must  elevate  the  Bible  up  to  this  high  level  and 
keep  it  there  if  we  would  give  It  more  general  readmg. 

Now,  to  take  the  positive  side : 


972  CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION. 

By  writing  better  living  epistles  we  are  to  secure  an  increased 
study  of  the  word  of  God,  individually  and  associated,  by  writing 
better  living  epistles.  We,  in  our  lives  as  Christians^  ought  to  be  a 
perfect  transcript  of  the  word  of  God.  Are  we?  We  know  ho\v 
very  far  short  we  fall  from  being  that,  and  yet  there  is  no  better 
way  by  which  we  can  emphasize  and  command  attention  for  the 
word  of  God  than  to  put  that  word  into  a  life. 

We  have  heard  a  great  deal  recently  about  a  new  translation  of 
the  New  Testament,  and  I  am  one  of  those  who  rejoice  in  the  "  re- 
A'ision."  We  need  it,  and  ought  to  have  it.  I  welcome  and  indorse 
and  believe  in  it.  But  the  translation  I  believe  to  be  most  needed 
is  the  translation  of  the  word  of  God  into  action — living  "epistles," 
that  shall  tell  to  men  everywhere  what  the  truth  is. 

The  walking  epistle  goes  every^vhere.  You  can  go  into  the 
business  place,  the  mart,  everywhere,  and  walk  the  gospel  right 
into  the  eye  and  the  heart  of  man,  for  3  ou  walk  into  them. 

Mr.  Moody  said,  and  I  echoed  the  remark  because  I  thought  it 
wonderfully  in  the  line  of  my  own  thought,  and  adapted  to  the 
occasion,  though  used  in  a  different  connection — he  said  one  of  the 
most  humiliating  things  in  the  church  is  that  there  are  so  m;iny 
portions  of  it  who  have  no  testimony.  What  is  that  but  saving 
that  if  we  are  going  to  send  out  this  gospel  and  get  men  interested 
in  it  we  must  put  it  into  ourselves,  and  not  do  with  it  as  if  it  were 
something  for  our  own  experience  alone.  We  should  make  men 
look  upon  it.  Look  at  that  motto,  "  Your  body  is  the  temple  of 
the  Holy  Ghost."  Oh!  if  this  mass  of  Christians  are  to-day  to  realize 
that — not  simply  to  their  own  timid  consciences,  not  so  that  a  feeble 
hope  could  be  born  from  it,  but  so  that  men  should  be  made  to 
believe  it.  Oh!  that  the  Christi;in  could  see  as  each  one  walked  the 
street,  the  temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Oh!  how  the  streets  would 
be  crowded  to  find  out  where  the  cause  of  this  power  was. 

Again,  we  may  increase  the  study,  individual  and  associated,  of 
the  word  of  God  by  better  methods  in  the  h(Hisehold.  Here  is  a 
little  child — 3-ou  have  often  seen  such  a  beautiful  sight — nestled  in 
his  mother's  arms,  hearing  a  Bible  story,  the  story  of  Moses,  the 
story  of  Joseph,  the  story  of  Abraham,  the  story  of  Paul  in  prison, 
the  story  of  the  shipwreck,  those  inimitable  stories  of  Jesus  told  in 
parable,  and  those  other  inimitable  stories — parables  in  action — called 
His  miracles.  The  Scripture  is  full  of  them,  of  just  such  stories; 
and  that  child,  with  open  eye,  and  mouth,  and  ear,  takes  in  the  beau- 
tiful stories,  listening  with  eager,  wondering  interest,  and  asking  the 
mother  to  tell  some  old,  old  story,  over  again.  The  child  never 
tires  of  it.  See  that  boy.  He  is  16  or  18  years  of  age.  What 
interest  has  he  in  the  word  of  God?  He  has  grown  from  babyhood 
into  manhood.     He  is  in  the  same  Christian  home;  and   yet  if  you 


CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION.  973 

will  shut  in  such  a  young  man  who  listened  so  eagerly  to  the  sto- 
ries ot'  the  Scripture  when  he  was  a  child — if  you  will  shut  this 
young  man  up  with  an  almanac,  a  directory  and  a  Bible,  he  will 
turn  over  the  pages  of  the  first  for  a  few  minutes;  do  the  same  with 
the  second,  but  he  will  almost  die  before  he  will  look  at  the  Bible, 

What  is  the  trouble.  It  is  because  he  has  become — been  made 
— disgusted  with  the  Scriptures.  And  yet  Milton  and  Newton  and 
a  host  of  other  great  men  have  kept  the  Bible  ever  before  them,  and 
satisfied  the  calls  of  their  intellect  by  going  to  the  word  of  God  for 
inspiration  and  pabulum.  Well,  we  must  attribute  something  of 
the  trouble  to  the  actual  prejudices  of  the  human  heart.  They  have 
been  developed  from  time  to  time,  and  if  he  has  not  been  converted, 
they  continue  to  increase.  But  I  tell  ^-ou  the  boy  has  not  been 
treated  rightly  in  connection  with  the  Bible.  He  has  been  taught 
to  consider  its  reading  as  a  system  of  tasks,  and  he  has  been  com- 
pelled, with  his  father  and  mother  to  go  through  the  tiresome  gene- 
alogies chapter  by  chapter,  one  chapter  a  day,  from  Moses  to  Reve- 
lation. Oh!  it  seems  to  me  if  we  want  to  keep  our  voung  men  in 
the  household  f am' liar  with  the  Scriptures,  in  love  with  them,  and 
glad  to  read  them,  we  must  not  have  any  rigid  order  for  their  read- 
ing it.  Free  it  from  the  idea  of  a  task.  And  I  feel  sure  if  this 
were  done  we  should  have  more  Bible-reading  in  our  homes. 

Here  is  a  field  filled  with  the  odors  of  sweet  blossoms,  and  you 
must  cultivate  it.  Then,  I  say,  that  we  should  give  more  notice  to 
our  methods  in  the  household. 

]My  third  point  is  that,  in  order  to  increase  the  study  of  the 
Scriptures  in  an  individual  and  associated  way,  we  should  have  bet- 
ter methods  in  the  pulpit,  and  here,  of  course,  I  am  speaking  to 
myself  as  well  as  to  others  in  the  ministry.  I  believe  that  there  is 
a  great  deal  of  preaching  not  at  all  adapted  to  secure  readers  for  the 
Scriptures  and  make  men  in  love  with  it.  It  is  in  this  way  that  the 
text  is  sometimes  read  at  the  beginning  and  that  is  the  last  heard 
of  it. 

Another  method  is  to  take  a  text  and  stick  to  it,  but  he  only 
thumps  and  bumps  at  it.  It  is  a  repetition  of  the  text  turned  up 
and  down  in  various  forms.  That  is  the  sermon,  but  there  is  not 
any  gospel  in  it.  He  has  simply  given  the  text  and  verbal  em- 
phasis as  he  has  thumped  down  the  words.  Suppose  we  treated 
any  other  book  in  that  way,  and  professed  to  be  one  who  was  going 
to  teach  a  great  deal  of  Shakespeare,  for  instance,  and  we  took  my 
"kingdom  for  a  horse"  for  a  text,  and  that  is  the  last  we  say  about 
the  king  and  the  horse  he  wants.     That  would  be  one  way 

Or  suppose  we  take  the  other  way  to  teach  Shakespeare,  with 
the  same  text.  You  commence,  "Well,  we  will  discuss  the  nature 
of  a  king,  and  say  something  about  a  king.     My  second  point  is  a 


974  CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION. 

horse,  the  fine  points  of  a  horse,  the  relation  of  a  king  to  a  horse." 
How  much  of  Shakespeare  is  going  to  be  taught  in  that  way.  Is 
not  that  the  way  in  whicli  the  word  of  the  Lord  is  often  preached, 
and  is  tliat  method  the  best  way  of  increasing  the  interest  in  the 
word?  What  IS  the  best  method  of  increasing  the  interest  in  the 
word  of  God?  It  is  to  tell  people  to  go  and  seek  for  themselves 
after  new  riches  in  the  word  of  the  Lord. 

It  was  my  pleasui^e  to  follow  Albert  Barnes  as  his  successor — all 
honor  to  his  blessed  memory.  It  was  his  habit,  Sabbath  after  Sab- 
bath, year  after  year,  to  explain  the  Scriptures,  to  take  passages  at 
considerable  length  and  unfold  their  meaning  :  to  show  their  drift 
and  their  tendency  and  their  fullest  meaning  ;  and  the  result  was 
that  I  found  in  the  church  men  and  women  who  knew  far  more  of 
the  word  of  God  than  I  did  ;  who  were  familiar  with  the  sacred 
history  from  beginning  to  end,  who  were  in  the  habit  of  talking 
about  it  day  by  day,  for  they  had  been  taught  by  that  good  man  of 
God  to  do  so  by  his  preaching  and  by  the  manner  of  his  preaching. 
Before  God,  I  believe,  if  we  want  to  have  more  study  of  God's  word, 
we  must  show  by  this  connected  way  of  preaching  \vhat  the  way  is. 

Look  at  Scotland,  remarkable  for  its  knowledge  of  the  word  of 
God — a  knowledge  attained  largely  through  this  method  of  teaching; 
by  multiplying  the  means  for  unlocking  the  secrets  of  the  Bible, 
and  disclosing  its  treasures  of  thought  and  sentiment  and  poetry,  its 
sublimities,  its  glories,  its  pathos,  its  blessed  facts  and  revelations; 
keepuig  ever  high  above  all  other  thoughts,  the  fact  that  the  Bible 
is  a  divine  revelation  of  God's  word.  Above  all  I  would  say  keep 
before  you  the  purpose  to  make  men  believe  that  this  word  of  God 
is  not  onh^  the  best  history;  not  only  the  best  poetry  the  world  can 
show  in  all  literature,  but  beyond  all  and  over  all,  that  it  is  a  divine 
revelation,  thrilling  through  all  its  nervous  words  with  the  inspira- 
tion of  Jehovah.     [Applause]. 

A  hymn,  •'  My  Jesus,  I  love  Thee,"  was  sung  at  the  conclusion 
of  Dr.  Johnson's  address,  and  !Mr.  Moody  at  once  introduced  INIr. 
B.  F.Jacobs,  who  was  appointed  for  a  ten-minute  talk  on  this  same 
subject  of  Bible  study. 

Mr  Jacobs  began  by  saying,  it  had  been  said  that  the  written 
word  of  God  was  treated  now  as  was  the  living  word  when  Christ 
was  upon  the  earth.  The  problem  to  be  considered  was  how  to 
overcome  the  neglect  of,  rather  than  the  opposition  to,  the  Avord  of 
God.  To  attain  this  end  the  speaker  first  recommended  some  change 
in  the  treatment  of  the  Bible  in  public  worship,  at  \vhich  time  he 
deprecated  the  putting  of  the  hymn-book  so  far  in  advance  of  the 
Bible.  He  did  not  altogether  aj^prove  of  the  method  of  the  Episco- 
palians, who  incorporate  a  fragment  of  Scripture  with  the  prayer 
book  or  with  the  hymns. 


CHRISTIAX    COXVENTIOX.  975 

He  believed  that  better  and  the  best  results  would  ensue  from 
a  more  liberal  use  of  the  Bible  in  the  worship  of  God. 

Again,  he  believed  that  the  word  of  God  should  have  place  in 
the  i^rayer  meeting.  He  declared,  and  his  declaration  evoked  most 
audible  approval,  that  the  Bible  ought  to  be  used  in  the  Sundav 
school  and  not  lesson  pajDcrs  or  question  books.  He  reproved 
those  rich  churches  which  neglect  to  furnish  the  Bible  to  their  mis- 
sion schools.  He  affirmed  that  the  Bible  should  be  used  in  family 
worship  and  not  Spurgeon's  "Gems,"  or  "Ray's  Morning  Exer- 
cises." ]SIany  a  young  man  was  setting  up  his  family  altar  who 
vitally  needed  to  be  shown  the  use  of  the  sacred  word. 

^Ir.  Jacobs,  in  passing,  showed  what  noble  examples  for  those 
sustaining  the  various  relations  of  family  life  were  contained  in  the 
Bible  lessons  that  are  being  taught  in  the  Sunday  school.  He  spoke 
of  the  praying  mother  of  Samuel,  conscious  of  the  truth  that  char- 
acter is  transmittable,  who  prayed  before  her  son  was  born  and  aftei 
his  coming  had  blessed  her  prayers.  He  incidentallv  touched  upon 
the  little  lessons  of  life,  that  the  boy  Samuel,  in  his  various  services, 
preached  for  the  children  of  all  time. 

He  emphasized  the  need  of  organizing  Bible  bands,  bv  which 
agency,  while  the  family  is  assigned  its  daily  chapter,  the  little 
child,  too,  is  not  omitted,  but  is  given  its  tiny  verse. 

As  another  aid  to  social  Bible  studv,  he  asked  why  there  might 
not  be  established  in  different  parts  of  the  city  reading  clubs  for 
Bible  study,  as  there  'svere  clubs  for  the  profitable  and  pleasurable 
reading  of  other  literature.  For  what  treasures  there  were  to  be 
mined  !  Poetry,  biography,  history  were  there  in  beautiful  abund- 
ance. Again,  might  not  the  ladies  of  the  congregations  go  into  the 
houses  of  this  city,  carrying  the  word  of  God,  as  was  done  after 
Miss  Dryer's  plan?  To  further  promote  the  study  of  the  Bible 
personal  diligence  was  necessary,  for  the  Bible  w^as  a  personal  book 
all  the  way  through.  God  reached  His  people  through  His  jDCople, 
one  by  one.  The  Bible  was  the  palace  beautiful.  If  it  was  opened 
at  random  and  aid  sought  and  none  came,  perhaps  many  a  poor  soul 
wondered  why  the  Lord  did  not  meet  his  need.  But  the  help  was 
there  ;  just  the  right  kind  for  every  one. 

Prayer  by  Dr.  Hatfield  followed  the  remarks  of  Mr.  Jacobs. 

The  topic  for  1 1  o'clock  was, 

"how  may  our  foreign  population  be  evangelized?" 

The  Rev.  F.  E.  Emerich  said  he  had  lived  for  many  years  in  a 
German  home,  and  he  had  for  that  reason  been  selected  to  speak  on 
this  question.  God  had  wonderfully  blessed  America  in  bringing 
to  its  shores   the   peoples   from  every  country  on  the  globe.     God 


976  CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION 

had  given  America  a  heritage  and  a  privilege  of  working  for  Him 
that  had  been  accorded  to  no  other  people. 

It  had  been  said  that  in  this  country  there  was  to  be  enacted  the 
modern  Pentecost — when  all  the  peoples  of  the  world  would  be 
brought  together  to  hear  the  word  of  God. 

There  was  no  difficulty  in  reaching  the  Scotch,  English  and 
Welsh  people  by  American  methods,  because  they  were  so  near 
akin  to  ourselves  that  our  methods  reached  them.  But  what  were 
we  to  do  for  the  Germans  and  Scandinavians  In  his  church,  INIr. 
Emerich  said  he  had  thirteen  different  nationalities  on  the  church 
rolls  but  the  greater  portion  of  them  were  Scandmavians.  He 
found  no  difficulty  in  reaching  these  people  because  they  had  been 
taught  by  our  methods.  They  had  been  reared  in  the  grand  old 
Lutheran  Church,  and  they  had  a  great  love  for  the  memor}-  of 
Luther.  They  had  been  brought  up  in  a  Christian  faith  In  ask- 
ing the  question  of  what  should  be  done  for  the  Germans,  we 
should  remember  not  so  much  the  infidelity  and  rationalism  of  the 
Germany  of  to-day,  but  rr.ore  the  Germany  of  Luther,  whose 
400th  anniversary  was  to  be  celebrated  this  year.  Could  these 
people  be  evangelized  ?  Luther  had  ^vorked  out  his  reformation 
by  faith.  We  should  remember  this,  and  that  the  great  Wesley 
had  drawn  his  power  to  evangelize  from  German  sources.  If  the 
German  had  not  the  gospel  in  its  churches  it  had  the  power  of  the 
gospel  in  its  church  hj'mns,  which  had  been  translated  into  almost 
every  tongue,  and  were  in  fact  our  greatest  power  for  evangeliza- 
tion. 

The  evangelist  need  not  give  up  hope  for  these  peoj^le. 

The  Methodists  were  doing  a  grand  work  among  these  people, 
and  giving  the  Germans  a  literature  that  \vould  bring  good  fruit. 
Then  there  was  the  Lutheran  Church,  which  had  reached  the  Ger- 
mans in  its  own  way,  and  if  we  would  remember  the  religious  his- 
tory of  Germany  rather  than  its  infidelity,  and  take  hope  to  work 
with  them,  they  could  be  evangelized. 

But  how  were  they  to  be  reached? 

First,  we  must  acknowledge  the  work  that  was  being  done 
among  the  Germans  to-day.  They  had  a  love  for  the  old  mother 
church  of  Luther.  It  was  making  itself  manifest  this  year  more 
than  for  many  years.  The  Germans  loved  that  church.  We  must 
acknowledge  the  work  that  church  was  doing  in  this  country  and 
at  home.  It  ranked  third  in  the  great  evangelical  churches,  only 
the  Methodist  and  Baptist  standing  ahead  of  it.  The  church  work- 
ers of  this  country  could  not  afford  to  fail  to  give  recognition  to  such 
a  power  for  Christ.  What  if  it  did  not  have  the  same  methods  we 
employed?  The  old  notions  that  had  clung  to  the  Lutheran  church 
would  drop  off  when  it  had  become  somewhat  Americanized.     We 


ClIKISIIAN    CON\'EXTION.  977 

should  remember  that  the  Baptists  had  stood  where  the  Lutherans 
did  a  century  ^igo,  but  they  had  seen  their  mistakes  when  Edw^ards 
and  Whitfield  gave  them  the  proof.  Why  should  not  we  be  as 
hopeful  concerning  the  Lutherans? 

As  much  could  be  done  with  the  German  churches  as  had  been 
done  with  others. 

When  the  revival  of  God's  spirit  came  upon  them  they  would 
speak  the  truth.  They  would  learn  as  the  American  church  had 
learned  to  preach  the  gospel  free  from  dogma.  We  needed  patience 
with  chese  German  Christians. 

The  speaker  had  been  greatly  impressed  with  the  patience  of 
God  with  Israel.  We  needed  die  spirit  of  Christ,  and  we  needed 
to  remember  what  the  Apostle  Paul  said  about  the  patience  of 
Christ.  The  Germans  came  to  this  country  with  prejudices,  and 
these  must  be  overcome.  They  came  w^ith  un-American  ideas  con- 
cerning the  observance  cf  the  Sabbath  and  temperance.  We  should 
remember  that  our  ideas  of  these  questions  were  as  strange  to  chem 
as  w'ere  their  ideas  to  us.  They  had  followed  Calvin  and  Luther, 
and  believed  they  were  right  in  then-  way.  Mr.  Emerich  said,  as 
for  himself,  he  had  lived  twenty  years  in  a  German  home  and  learned 
the  customs  of  the  people,  but  he  had  afterward  lived  for  sixteen 
years  in  the  homes  of  New  England,  and  he  had  novy  but  one  idea 
of  Sabbath  observance,  and  that  was  the  New  England  way. 

He  knew  the  German  way  and  the  New  England  way,  and  he 
could  look  at  the  question  from  the  German  standpoint.  He  knew 
how  long  it  took  him  to  learn  that  he  must  not  buy  on  the  Sabbath 
day.  He  had  no  idea  that  he  was  breaking  the  fourth  command- 
ment until  his  old  teacher  kindly  pointed  it  out  to  him.  Many  of 
these  German  peojDle  had  never  once  had  presented  to  them  from 
the  standpoint  of  love,  the  fourth  commanchnent.  They  ohould  put 
in  the  leaven  of  God's  truth  and  it  would  do  the  work. 

Then  in  answering  the  question  of  how  to  reach  the  foreign 
population,  he  would  say.  by  recognizing  wdiat  work  had  already 
been  done  for  the  Germans,  and  by  working  in  harmony  with  the 
foreign  pastors,  helping  them  with  sympathy  and  practical  efforts. 
We  needed  to  have  faith  in  the  power  of  Christian  community  and 
fellowship.  Another  way  was  to  reach  the  foreign  population 
through  the  children.  These  people  wanted  their  children  con- 
firmed, and  chcy  were  much  more  careful  about  teaching  them  the 
Scriptures  then  were  our  own  people. 

"HOW^    to    reach    the    GERMANS." 

The  Rev.  Lee  M.  Heilman,  of  Grace  English  Lutheran  Church, 
spoke  as  follows: 

To  evangelize  all  our  foreign  population  would,  in  a  large  meas- 


978  CHRISTIAN    COXVEXTION. 

lire,  revolutionize  our  courts  of  justice,  our  social  life,  and  q-eneral 
political  and  religious  institutions.  To  bring  under  the  power  of  the 
gospel  all  the  various  nations  and  tongues  of  our  land  and  make 
them  speak  for  Christ  would  be  to  convert  Babel  into  a  Pentecost, 
and  nations  among  us  would  be  born  in  a  day.  There  is,  perhaps, 
no  topic  that  can  claim  the  serious  attention  of  such  an  assemblv 
more  profitably  than  this,  for  on  the  solution  of  it  hangs  on  the  one 
hand  the  future  of  our  land  and  the  permanence  of  its  free  institu- 
tions, and  on  the  other  hand  assurance  that  here  shall  not  be  left 
another  district  of  Christ's  church  turned  into  heathen,  Asia  Minor 
with  no  cross  left.  While  these  hundreds  of  thousands  are  coming 
annually  to  us,  we  need  inquire  how  the  godlessness,  the  rational- 
ism, formalism  and  infidelity  poured  upon  us  shall  be  made  to  dis- 
enthrall great  talent  and  turn  it  to  the  jSIaster's  service. 

It  is,  however,  only  just  that  I  should  protest  against  the  too 
prevalent  idea  among  us  Americans,  that  there  is  almost  no  piety 
among  those  of  anv  other  than  the  English  speech.  I  speak  for 
Scandinavians  and  some  Protestant  Germans.  Still  that  does  not 
change  the  fact  that  of  these  very  nations,  and  many  others  more  or 
less  foreign,  are  many  hundreds  neglecting  their  dearest  interests 
and  thousands  more  of  them  doing  violence  to  the  kingdom  of  God. 

To  reach  these  with  the  saving  grace  of  Calvary  is  of  course  to 
reach  souls  in  a  common  fallen  race.  There  is  but  one  Jesus,  one 
gospel,  and  one  spirit  of  regeneration,  to  touch  on  the  mainspring 
of  human  want.  The  solution  of  the  jDroblem  in  hand  lies  in  ho\v 
this  Christ,  the  wisdom  and  the  power  of  God,  shall  be  brought  to 
this  foreign  population.  This  class  of  people  has  not  been  gener- 
allv  reached,  and  there  are  reasons  for  it,  and  these  furnish  the  an- 
swers hov:  to  bring  them  more  to  a  knowledge  of  the  truth. 

There  is,  for  example,  in  Chicago  but  one  church  for  about 
every  4,000  Protestant  Germans  and  Scandinavians.  There  are 
Lutheran  pastors,  it  is  estimated,  w\\o  have  in  their  parishes  at  least 
1,500  families.  No  church  or  pastor  can  there  minister  to  the  sick 
and  dying,  and  meet  all  other  demands,  and  then  yet  properly  cul- 
tivate the  field.  Hence  it  is,  many  have  only  a  nominal  relation  to 
the  church  bv  their  occasional  attendance  of  their  children  at  the 
schools  and  the  burying  of  their  dead  by  the  pastor.  Is  it  any 
wonder  that  the  best  are  tempted  to  careless  and  bad  habits,  and 
that  many  are  led  to  vice  and  clothe  a  quaking  conscience  with 
scepticism  ?  Church  life  and  influence,  and  the  word  of  God  are 
wanting,  and  there  the  heart  left  without  the  ordained  safeguards 
is  as  uncertain  of  its  course  as  is  the  serpent  coiled  on  the  rock. 
Home  life  is  soon  demoralized  and  the  young  left  imrestrained  are 
reared,  especiallv  in  their  idling  Sabbath  hours  and  at  nights,  for 
every  vice  of  tongue,  eye  and  palate.     With   not  room  enough  in 


CHRISTIAN    COXVENTION.  979 

churches,  and  not  sufficient  agencies  to  win  the  non-church-goino^ 
voung  men  of  Catholic,  Protestant  and  no  persuasion,  and  of  all 
"languages,  the  field  hrings  forth  our  most  dangerous  and  God- 
less classes. 

Again,  however,  I  remark,  the  foreign  population  must  not  be 
treated  "as  a  charity  people.  To  build  them  churches,  and  have  some 
Americans  at  stated  times  take  the  part  of  workers  among  them  will 
never  get  into  the  heart  of  their  real  thousands.  Money  and  prayers 
have  done  great  things,  but  proxy  methods  are  not  enough.  God's 
plan  is  to  have  churches  where  all  classes  actually  unite  into  one 
association.  Besides,  He  appoints  pastors  who  must  have  the  "care 
of  souls  and  the  oversight  of  the  flock."  They  are  to  be  among 
them  like  the  phvsician,  for  every  emergency.  The  pastoral  ele- 
ment is  divinely  chosen,  and  there  is  no  eloquence,  or  learning,  or 
any  form  of  proper  e^'angelization  that  can  safely  take  the  place  of 
its'oftice  to  care  for  the  sick,  the  dying,  visiting  the  doubting  and 
backsliding,  or  preaching  from  house  to  house  the  cross  of  Jesus. 
Let  all  other  agencies  do  their  part  but  you  cannot  sustain  a  church 
work  properlv  except  by  a  "  house-going  pastor,"  who  makes  a  per- 
manent and  "church  going  people  "  Do  not,  especially,  seek  to  reach 
the  foreign  population  by  proxy  only,  for  if  there  is  not  a  nearer 
touch  of  heart  to  heart,  they  will  feel  the  work  as  a  kind  of  charity, 
and  that  feeling  tends  to  depress  rather  than  to  lift  up  and  inspire. 

Then,  again,  there  must  be  a  care  for  their  Americanizing.  The 
question  of  language,  nationality,  and  habits  presents  enormous  dif- 
ficulties. Let  the  old  people  have  the  gospel  in  their  mother 
tongue,  but  have  not  for  their  leaders  and  ministers  the 
unprogressive  who  are  sticklers  for  the  forms,  and  seek  to 
propagate  the  formalism  and  spirit  of  their  native  countries. 
Give  them  men  of  this  modern  age  and  who  are  filled  with  the 
spirit  of  regeneration  and  of  moral  reform  in  Sabbath  keeping,  tem- 
perance, and  the  general  good  of  men.  My  observation  has  taught 
me  that  there  are  ministers  and  people  in  various  denominations,  no 
matter  what  earnest  professsions  they  make,  who,  rather  than  leave 
their  own  habits  and  tongue  and  their  church,  or  suffer  their  Eng- 
lish speaking  children  to  do  so,  will  let  the  church  die  and  their 
youths  sent  into  the  world.  There  is  special  need  to  care  for  the 
more  liberal  and  anglicized.  There  are  towns  and  large  districts  in 
the  city    where  are  no  English  churches. 

Suffer  me,  however,  to  present  this  antithesis  as  a  next  remark: 
These  people  ought  not  be  too  readily  deprived  of  their  own 
churches  unless  they  adhere  to  an  unevangelical  branch  or  prefer 
another.  Great  harm  and  confusion  have  been  thus  often  caused 
and  more  souls  sent  from  the  cross  than  brought  to  it.  If  they  are 
^^lethodists  across  the  sea  let  them  be  that  there.     If  they   are   Ger- 


980  CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION. 

man  Reformed,  or  Lutheran,  or  Presbyterian,  or  Congregational, 
they  are  reached  and  preserved  far  more  easily  in  their  own  home, 
if  possible.  Believe  me  as  speaking  from  honest  conviction  and 
knowledge  on  this  point,  and  out  of  mercy  for  the  souls  concerned. 
It  is  a  duty  to  be  wise  as  well  as  faithful,  like  Paul,  who,  to  win  the 
formalistic  Pharisee,  claimed  himself  to  be  of  them.  I  know,  some 
will  be  doubtful  about  the  Lutheran  and  Reformed,  and  perhaps 
the  German  Evangelical  Union,  but  there  are  evangelical  branches 
of  them,  notably  of  the  first  named  who  are  Americanized,  pietistic, 
and  claim  such  men  as  Spener,  Tholuck,  Luthhardt,  and  Christlieb, 
and  their  success,  where  they  have  been  permitted  to  go,  is  proof  of 
this  point.  Go,  however,  my  brother,  and  in  any  church 
and  way  save  the  fallen  and  unreached  thousands  of  all 
classes. 

Once  more,  I  remark,  the  young  people  should  be  brought  into 
the  church,  whatever  that  church. .  It  is  not  enough  to  gather  them 
into  the  Sunday  school,  but  when  really  brought  to  a  personal 
Savior  let  them  profess  Him  and  take  on  them  the  decided  and 
whole  armor  of  the  Christian  life.  In  1865  the  Rev.  Mr.  Punshon 
said  in  England  that  when  Newcastle-on-Tvne,  which  was  a  very 
hotbed  of  infidelity,  was  canvassed,  "it  was  found  that  nine-tenths  of 
the  most  prominent  members  of  the  infidel  clubs  had  passed  through 
their  Sabbath  schools.''  If  you  would  really  reach  them,  and  through 
them  the  older,  bring  them  into  full  church  life. 

In  a  woi-d,  let  usbe  consecrated  in  any  way  to  save  these  hearts 
athirst  for  the  water  of  life.  Let  our  work  be  popular  and  plainly 
preach  repentance  and  a  living  faith.  Let  us  tenderly  mingle  among 
them  and  learn  to  appreciate  them,  and  so  compel  the  worst  to  find 
Christ  the  real  want  of  the  soul.  Aid  our  Sabbath  Association  and 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association.  Let  us  by  our  holy  lives  con- 
vince the  skeptic  of  the  power  of  our  religion,  and  by  our  real 
brotherly  union  of  all  churches  disarm  the  assault  that  we  are  really 
at  war  among  ourselves.  We  should  remember  that  all  tongues  are 
of  one  parentage  and  alike  sinful,  and  that  one  Jesus  alone  can  heal 
the  wound  of  death. 

Professor  Samuel  Ives  Curtiss,  of  the  Chicago  Theological  Sem- 
inary, in  discussing  this  subject  further,  said  he  would  first  pre- 
sent a  few  figures.  Illinois  had  a  native  population  of  2,494,294  and 
a  foreign  population  of  583,576;  Minnesota  had  a  native  population 
of  513,097  and  a  foreign  population  of  267,276;  Wisconsin  had  a 
native  population  of  910,072  and  a  foreign  population  of  405,425: 
Chicago  had  a  total  population  of  503,185,  according  to  the  census 
of  1880,  and  of  this  204,859  were  foreign  born. 

He  then  spoke  as  follows: 

I  will  first  speak  of  some  of  the  hindrances  to  the  evangelization 


CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION.  981 

of  those  Germans  who  were  born  in  Germany,  because  of  their  edu- 
cation and  surroundings  in  that  country. 

1.  The  State  has  said,  until  recently,  to  all  parents  in  Ger- 
many, You  must  haye  your  children  baptized.  The  fathers  mi^^ht 
say,  But  I  don't  belieye  in  Christianity;  I  don't  belieye  there  is  a 
God.  The  State  has  said  it  makes  no  difference.  It  is  the  law  that 
eyery  Protestant  and  Catholic  child  should  be  baptized;  bring  your 
child  or  we  will  fine  you. 

2.  The  State  has  said,  until  recently,  ever  -  oy  and  girl  of  the 
age  of  thirteen  or  fourteen  must  be  confirmed.  Here  again  the 
parents  might  say,  "But  we  do  not  believe  in  Christianity."  The 
State  has  said,  "  I  cannot  help  that.  Your  boy  or  girl  cannot  enter 
upon  an  occupation  without  a  certificate  that  they  are  members  of 
the  State  church 

3.  The  State  says  you  may  not  leave  the  church,  and  elect  any 
pastor  you  choose.  With  me  rests  the  nomination  of  your  pastor. 
He  is,  to  a  certain  extent,  a  State  official. 

What  is  the  result  of  this?  An  estrangement  of  the  masses  in 
the  cities  and  towns  from  the  ministry.  Many  a  German  says,  the 
minister  does  not  care  anything  about  me.  He  only  cares  for  my 
money.  When  my  boy  is  baptized  it  means  a  fee;  when  he  is 
confirmed,  another  fee;  when  sickness  invades  my  family,  more  fees, 
and  when  death  comes,  other  fees.  Some  pay  them  loyally.  A 
pastor  in  Leipzig  once  told  me  the  story  of  a  peasant  who  wished 
to  help  his  father,  who  was  poor,  and  had  a  large  family.  He  came 
to  him  and  said :  "  Pastor,  I  want  you  should  write  my  funeral 
sermon,  and  I  will  pay  for  it."  In  due  time  it  was  written  and  paid 
for.  After  a  time  the  peasant,  seeing  his  pastor  w^as  not  getting  on 
very  well,  came  and  said:  "Pastor  I  want  you  should  write  a 
funeral  sermon  for  my  wife,  and  I  will  pay  you  for  it."  It  was 
prepared,  and  so  he  went  through  the  whole  family. 

The  minister  is  not  to  blame.  He  says:  "Here  I  am,  with 
my  three  colleagues,  with  a  parish  of  40,000  on  my  hands.  What 
can  we  do?  I  would  gladly  do  more.  My  heart  yearns  for  the 
people.  The  church  building  was  erected  by  the  State,  and  it  was 
built  to  last.  The  dust  of  ages  is  in  it.  It  is  like  being  in  a  char- 
nel  house  to  attend  service  in  it — cold,  dark,  gloomy.  Are  the  peo- 
ple there?  No,  they  are  in  the  sunny  fields,  listening  to  music  in 
the  gardens,  and  at  eyening  attending  the  schools  of  wit  in  the 
theater." 

Now,  can  you  wonder  that  the  natui'al  tendency  for  the  ma- 
jority of  Germans  when  they  come  to  this  ccjuntry  is  to  throw  aside 
these  irksome  restraints?  How  many  thousands  upon  thousands  of 
native-born  Americans  who  have  been  connected  yyith  pleasant 
churches   at  the   East,  cease  to  be  church   members  when    they  go 


982  CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION. 

West,  and  thus  fall  into  indifferentism  ?  But  this  is  far  more  true 
of  the  Germans  who  come  to  this  country. 

1.  The  lack  of  vital  piety  among  many  of  the  ministers. 
Religion  is  too  often  a  matter  of   the   head   rather    than  of  the 

heart.  It  is  taught  in  the  schools  like  arithmetic  and  grammar,  and 
too  often  by  men  who  are  unbelievers. 

Piety,  a  change  of  heart,  is  not  at  all  necessary  for  a  student  of 
theology.  The  ministry  is  a  profession  like  law  and  medicine,  and 
it  is  too  often  the  case  that  the  men  who  cannot  pass  the  terribly  strict 
examination  for  the  legal  profession,  or  think  they  cannot,  study 
for  the  ministry. 

The  students  are  more  characterized  for  ochsen  and  kneipen,  as 
they  call  it,  :nan  for  religious  work.  Not  more  than  60  out  of  the  600 
theological  students  in  Leipzig  are  engaged  in  practical  Christian 
work.  I  will  not  deny  that  the  German  church  furnishes  some  of 
the  most  devoted  Christian  pastors,  but  the  system  of  religious  edu- 
cation, although  in  many  respects  valuable,  is  stunted  and  neutralized 
to  a  great  extent  by  this  unbelieving  atmosphere.  The  effect  of 
this  upon  all  Germans  who  have  been  under  this  influence  is  to  cause 
them  to  be  satisfied  with  a  dead  name. 

It  was  a  standard  question  at  the  tax  ofhce  when  I  resided  in 
Leipzig,  whether  the  tax  payers  were  Evangelical,  Catholic  or  Jew- 
ish. Everybody  is  either  Jew  or  Christian,  and  if  brother  Moody 
were  to  preach  among  the  Germans,  and  hold  an  after-meeting,  and 
were  to  put  the  question  to  man  or  woman,  are  you  a  Christian,  the 
invariable  answer  would  be,  certainly.  He  would  mean,  have  you 
been  born  again  ?  They  would  mean  that  they  had  been  baptized, 
were  members  of  the  national  church  and  had  been  educated  in  the 
truths  of  religion. 

This  constitutes  a  tremendous  obstacle  in  reaching  the  people 
who  have  been  under  such  training  when  they  have  come  to  this 
country. 

2.  Another  hindrance  is  in  Sabbath  desecration. 

The  German  habit  of  making  ihe  Sabbath  a  holiday  instead  of  a 
holy  day  is  one  of  the  greatest  obstacles  to  the  evangelization  of 
Germans,  whether  in  the  fatherland  or  in  this  country. 

The  church  can  never  be  a  power  in  this  or  that  land  when  the 
Sabbath  is  given  up  to  worldly  pursuits  and  pleasures.  God  must 
have  all  or  none.  The  ride  for  health,  the  friendly  call,  the  journey 
that  ends  Sunday  morning  or  begins  Sunday  evening  are  the  camel's 
head,  which  will  finally  be  followed  by  his  whole  body.  The 
Sabbath  must  be  kept  as  the  grand  field  day  for  the  church,  or 
religion  will  be  weak  and  sickly. 

Now  Leipzig,  where  I  resided  five  years,  is  estimated  to  have  a 
population  of  200,000.    It  has  seven  churches.    It  has  perhaps  three 


CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION.  983 

Stirring  preachers,  but  they  do  not  preach  every  Sunday.  They 
alternate  with  colleagues,  who  have  but  little  power  to  arouse  the 
people.  I  am  sure,  from  my  own  observation,  that  an  average 
attendance  of  3,500  to  4,000  a  Sunday  would  be  very  large  in 
Leipzig;  that  would  leave  196,000  non-church  goers.  But  this 
summe'i-,  when  I  was  there,  on  one  of  the  Sundays  40,000  people 
left  on  excursion  trains  for  various  resorts  in  the  neighborhood. 
Can  religion  be  a  power  under  such  circumstances?  Can  such  a 
Sabbath  "be  a  field  day  for  the  church?  When  in  the  whirl  of  the 
business  and  pleasures  of  this  life  is  room  to  be  found  to  follow  in 
the  sorrowful  footsteps  of  our  Lord  who  came  to  die  for  this  world? 

This  is  a  tremendous  hindrance  to  the  evangelization  of  the 
Germans. 

Now,  how  shall  we  evangelize  them?  I  must  confess  that  my 
heart  yearns  for  them.  I  lived  among  them  six  years.  Three  of 
my  children  were  born  among  them.  All  that  is  mortal  of  one  sleeps 
ina  German  burying-ground.  But  I  feel  that  I  have  no  wisdom  in 
this  matter.  1  have  had  no  practical  experience  in  the  work  among 
them. 

I  will,  however,  venture  to  offer  the  following  suggestions  as 
to  those  who  work  among  them : 

1.  The  ministers  and  evangelists  who  labor  among  them  must 
be  consecrated,  devoted  men.  No  man  is  fit  for  the  work  who 
thinks  he  can  get  a  living  in  that  way  better  than  in  any  other,  or 
who  proposes  to  make  his  work  a  stepping  stone  to  anything  else. 
Men's  hearts  should  be  on  fire  with  love  for  the  work.  They 
should  be  ready  to  say  within  themselves,  woe  is  me  if  I  preach  not 
the  gospel  to  them. 

Men  cannot  resist  the  power  of  divine  love  as  communicated 
through  human  speech,  and  exemplified  in  a  human  life. 

Ministers  and  evangelists  may  get  a  hearing  when  speaking  in 
a  foreign  tongue  through  an  interpreter,  or  when  using  the  lan- 
guage imperfectly.  Mutual  love  and  confidence  will  cover  u}^  a 
multitude  of  defects.  But  there  is  a  more  excellent  way  than  to 
speak  to  them  in  a  foreign  language. 

2.  They  should  themselves  be  foreign-born  and  be  able  to  speak 
German  with  fiuency  and  correctness. 

The  prophet  says  in  Is.  xi.,  i,  according  to  the  Hebrew,  "Speak 
ye  to  the  heart  of  "Jerusalem,"  If  you  wish  to  touch  the  hearts  of 
people,  speak  to  them  in  the  tongue  in  which  they  were  born, 
waken  some  sleeping  memory  of  a  praying  mother,  of  a  faithful 
pastor.  Let  your  language  be  that  of  sacred  recollection,  and  that 
which  men  use  when  they  are  dying,  and  you  will  have  the  last 
medium  of  touching  their  hearts. 

3.  They  shcnild  know  the  history  and  customs  of  the  people. 


984  CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION. 

It  is  not  enough  that  a  man  should  be  a  German  to  speak  to 
Germans.  He  must  know  the  glories  of  the  fatherland.  He  must 
know  her  patriots  and  statesmen.  While  he  ought  to  be  an  Amer- 
ican through  and  through,  he  ought  to  be  able  to  kindle  into  patri- 
otic devotion  when  he  hears  such  German  songs  as  "The  Watch  on 
the  Rhine." 

He  ought  to  know  not  only  that  Germany  had  a  Martin  Luther, 
but  what  ^lartln  Luther  did,  and  what  Germany  has  been  and  is 
to-day  for  the  religious  thinking  of  the  world.  He  ought  to  know 
their  "social  customs,  and  remember  that  the  practice  of  using  wine 
and  beer  among  the  pastors  and  Christian  people  in  Germany  is 
much  the  same  as  it  was  among  our  Puritan  ancestors  seventy-five 
years  ago.  We  should  be  patient  and  very  charitable  as  to  these 
things. 

4.  Thev  should  avoid  as  far  as  possible  antagonism  to  the  his- 
torical churches.  In  their  own  bosom  (that  is  of  the  churches)  the 
powers  are  yet  to  work  most  effectually  for  the  evangelization  of 
Germany.  To  treat  them,  therefore,  as  foes  is  to  wound  Christ  in 
the  house  of  His  friends.  Let  us  fellowship  with  them  so  far  as 
they  will  allow  it,  going  two-thirds  or  the  whole  of  the  way  if 
necessary  to  clasp  hands. 

5.  Other  churches  which  are  not  national  may  engage  in  this 
w^ork.  Like  the  Dissenters  in  England,  they  may  stir  up  the  old 
historic  church  to  new  life  and  energy. 

In  any  case,  this  work  should  go  forth  from  the  church,  and 
should  return  thither.  For  Christ  loved  the  church  and  gave  Him- 
self for  it,  and  we  are  one  with  Him  w^hen  we  try  to  promote  the 
efficiency  and  spirituality  of  that  body  of  which  He  Himself  is  the 
head. 

THE    NOON    MEETING. 

The  noon  prayer  meeting  was  simply  a  continuation  of  the 
morning  session,  as  many  people  coming  in  as  there  were  those  that 
retired.  Mr.  Moody  requested  the  audience  to  sing  hymn  No.  71, 
"How  Sweet  the  Name  of  Jesus  Sounds." 

Dr.  Moorhouse  then  offered  prayer,  and  was  followed  by  Brother 
Millard  in  another  prayer,  after  which  the  hymn  No.  87,  "Lord,  I 
Hear  of  ShoWei's  of  Blessings,"  was  sung. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Arthur  Little  read  Psalm  24,  "Who  shall  ascend 
into  the  hill  of  the  Lord?  or,  who  shall  stand  in  His  holy  place?" 

"He  that  hath  clean  hands,  and  a  pure  heart;  who  hath  not  lifted 
up  his  soul  unto  vanity ;  nor  sworn  deceitfully."  "Search  me,  Oh, 
God,  and  know  my  heart." 

In  other  words,  my  beloved  friends,  it  has  been  my  privilege  to 
be  a  listener  here,  and  not  a  speaker,  said  Dr.  Little.     I  have  come 


CHRISTIAN    COXVENTION.  985 

to  see  that,  if  this  convention  has  done  any  good  to  me,  I  must  hum- 
ble myself,  and  as  I  go  to  God's  temple  from  day  to  day  and  week 
to  week,  see  that  I  have  clean  hands  and  a  clean  heart.  In  the  last 
three  days  this  convention  has  proved  that  there  was  a  terrible  deii- 
ciency  on  the  part  of  the  Christian  churches  and  workers.  If  there 
is  not  an  honest  effort  made  on  the  part  of  professing  Christians  to 
bring  in  the  thousands  in  the  suburbs  of  the  large  cities  who  never 
enter  the  Lord's  house,  it  is  useless  to  have  brought  Brother  Mootlv 
here  at  all. 

Brother  Moody  then  offered  a  prayer,  in  which  he  invoked  the 
Lord's  aid  in  assisting  the  people  and  clergymen  of  this  city  to  come 
to  the  temple  with  clean  hearts  and  hands.  lie  asked  God  to  grant 
that  the  reports  of  this  convention,  as  published  in  the  press  of  Chi- 
cago, be  efficient  in  stirring  up  a  Christian  feeling  in  the  hearts  of 
those  in  distant  portions  of  the  land,  so  that  a  wave  of  Christian  sal- 
vation might  sweep  over  the  country,  as  it  did  in  1S57  and  1S58. 

Hymn  No.  77,  "Sweet  Hour  of  Prayer,"  was  sung  by  the  audi- 
ence with  a  right  good  will. 

Brother  Moody  then  related  a  story  of  a  family  in  England  who 
had  an  -erring  son  in  Australia  who  was  saved  through  the  prayers 
of  his  mother  in  England. 

Fred  Riebold,  from  Dayton,  Ohio,  related  the  manner  of  his 
conversion  some  fourteen  months  ago,  and  how  the  love  of  God 
completely  filled  his  being  now. 

Major  Whittle  spoke  in  reference  to  Riebold,  who,  he  said,  was 
one  of  the  speculating  and  fast  class  of  men  in  Dayton,  and  one  of 
a  syndicate  that  manipulated  a  railroad.  All  this  he  had  given  up 
for  God's  work.  Major  Whittle  then  offered  a  prayer,  and  the 
closing  anthem,  "Praise  God,  from  whom  all  blessings  flow"  was 
sung. 

The  benediction  was  offered  by  Dr.  Bascom,  and  the  immense 
throng  filed  out  of  the  hall. 

AFTERNOON  SESSION. 

There  were  several  hundred  people  who  never  left  the  hall 
between  the  morning  and  the  afternoon  sessions,  but  sacrificed  their 
lunches  rather  than  lose  their  seats  for  the  afternoon,  and  those  who 
did  leave  had  their  places  taken  by  others  as  fast  as  they  were  made 
vacant.  At  3  o'clock  Mrs.  McGranahan,  presiding  at  the  organ, 
led  the  vast  audience  in  singing  several  gospel  hymns.  Mr,  Moody 
came  in  a  few  minutes  before  the  time  for  opening  the  convention, 
and  was  kept  busy  looking  over  notes  sent  to  him..  He  requested 
3klr.  and  Mrs.  McGranahan  to  sing  "The  Two  Lives."  It  was  a 
touching  song,  telling  the  simple  story  of  two  lives  representing  the 
two  extremes  of  society — the  rich  and   the   poor.     So   widelv  sepa- 


986  CilRISTIAN    CONVENTION. 

rated  in  tins  world,  they  both  lay  in  the  Savior's  arms  at  death,  and 
"none  could  tell  which  had  lived  in  the  terrace  house  and  which  in 
the  street  below." 

No  one  was  more  affected  by  this  little  song  than  the  man  who 
had  requested  that  it  be  sung.  Mr.  Moody  sat  there  with  a  look  of 
sorrow  on  his  face  afe  the  story  of  earthly  trials  was  told  in  song,  but 
as  the  distinction  between  the  two  lives  was  wiped  out  at  death, 
there  came  a  smile  stealing  over  his  face  until  there  was  a  look  of 
complete  and  perfect  happiness  there.  The  face  was  an  indicator  of 
the  heart  of  the  man,  and  the  people  noticed  this  and  knew  that 
Moody  was  a  man  of  great  heart  and  deep  feeling. 

After  a  pra^^er  bv  Dr.  Henson,  Mr.  McGranahan  and  his  v>afe 
sung  "  We  shall  be  satisfied." 

Mr.  Moody  said  there  had  been  some  complaint  from  those 
holding  tickets  that  they  had  not  been  able  to  get  into  the  meetnig 
the  night  before.  The  committee  were  not  to  blame  for  this, 
because  so  many  people  without  tickets  gathered  about  the  doors 
that  the  ticket-holders  could  not  get  near.  The  result  was  that  some 
got  in  without  tickets  and  some  holding  tickets  were  kept  out  As 
the  next  session  would  be  the  last,  the  rush  would  probably  be 
greater  than  ever,  so  it  would  be  well  for  every  one  to  look  out  for 
himself  and  not  depend  too  much  upon  tickets. 

Mr.  Moody  said:  I  am  going  to  bring  a  charge  agamst  the 
ministers.  They  don't  want  children  in  the  church  during  the 
service. 

Dr.  Hatfield — I  deny  the  charge.  I  invite  my  people  to  bring 
the  children  to  the  services. 

Dr.  Humphrey — I  know  a  man  who  not  only  invites  the  chil- ' 
dren  to  his  church,  but  he  gives  them   note-books  and  pencils  and 
offers  prizes  of  Bibles  to  those  who  will  take  down  and  remember 
the  text. 

Dr.  Goodman — Yes;  and  I  saw  that  man  present  thirty-nine 
Bibles  to  a  class  of  boys,  and  I  observed  that  he  had  450  children 
out  of  the  600  in  his  Sabbath  school  in  his  church.  And  I  resolved 
that  I  would  try  the  same  thing  and  see  if  I  could  not  do  as  well.  I 
am  going  to  try  it. 

Dr.  Henson — I  get  tired  of  preaching  to  the  old  saints  and  sin- 
ners and  want  young  hearers.  I  encourage  the  children  to  come 
and  hear  me. 

Another  minister  said:  "I  believe  that  the  church  should  be  put 
ahead  of  the  Sunday  school  even  in  our  talk  to  children." 

Another  said :  "I  invite  my  children  not  only  to  the  church  ser- 
vice but  to  the  prayer  meeting." 

Still  another:  "I  am  always  glad  to  see  the  children  at  all  ser- 
vices.    We  want  the  infantry  in  God's  army," 


CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION.  987 

J.  H  Walker  said:  "I  deny  the  charge  too.  I  urge  my  people 
to  bring  the  children,  and  I  say  to  them  that  they  have  no  business 
iu  the  house  of  God  without  their  children  And  last  Sunday  morn- 
ing I  had  the  accompaniment  of  a  crying  baby  all  through  my  ser- 
mon, but  it  did  not  disturb  me." 

Dr.  Johnson — Mr.  Moody,  you  will  have  tc  withdraw  that 
charge. 

Mr.  Moody — Well,  I  will  take  that  back,  but  I  will  make 
another  They  don't  give  the  children  anything  when  they  do 
come.     [LaughterJ 

Dr.  Kendall — See  here,  Mr  Moody,  I  have  always  stood  by 
vou,  but  I  won't  do  so  any  longer  if  you  do  not  speak  the  truth. 

Mr.  Moody — Don't  I  speak  it.     Do  you  give  them  anything? 

Dr   Kendall — I  don't  know      I  believe  I  do.     At  least,  T  try  to. 
I  am  reforming,  or  trying  to      I  have  found   I  could   give  the  par 
ents  some  good  hard  hits  when  I  was  talking  to  the  children. 

And  so  the  brisk  cross-firing  continued,  one  or  two  other  plat- 
form speakers  good-naturedly  shooting  their  personal  experiences 
at  Mr.  Moody.  He  faced  the  interesting  f usilade  that  he  had  drawn 
out,  with  his  back  to  the  audience  and  his  stanch  and  portly  form 
seeming  big  enough  to  stand  a  broadside  of  the  kind  of  bombard- 
ment he  had  provoked 

The  firing  slackening  up  Mr.  Moody  threw  in  ^  bit  of  his  own 
experience.  He  said  that  he  was  seventeen  years  of  age  before  he 
had  heard  a  solitary  word  addressed  to  children.  He  recol- 
lected that  for  seventeen  years  he  had  thus  heard  nothing 
that  was  intended  for  him  and  his  like,  and  that,  at  that  age, 
he  was  waked  up  one  day  in  church  because  he  snored  so  loud. 
With  such  vouthful  memories  he  was  glad  that  the  ministers  were 
devoting  five  minutes  to  children's  talks.  Some  time  ago,  con- 
tinued the  ready  evangelist,  there  was  a  man  who  was  asked  how 
it  was  that  he  had  such  fine  sheep.  He  replied  that  it  was  becaui-e 
he  looked  after  the  lambs.  So,  said  Mr.  Moody,  look  after  the 
children  All  in  the  same  vein  of  illustration  and  comment  Mr. 
Moody  told  of  a  bit  of  a  sermon  that  a  little  six-year-old  girl,  in 
imitation  of  the  firstly,  secondly,  etc.,  method  of  her  father  had  pro- 
duced.    Firstly,  she  said: 

"The  Lord  loves  us  very,  very  much." 

Secondly.     "  But  He  does  not  like  us  to  sin," 

Thirdly.     "  Don't  you  want  to  love  Him." 

Fourthly.     "  Lord  have  mercy  on  us." 

Still  talking  for  and  about  the  children,  an  aged,  white-haired 
pastor  briefly  referred  to  his  successful  work  among  the  young 
people  during  his  pastorate  in  Cincinnati,  and  said  that  when  Christ 
came  and  made  promises  of   salvation   He   put   into   these  promises 


988  CHRISTIAN    CONVEXTIOX. 

salvation  for  two — the  believer  and  his  offspring.  So,  concluded 
the  venerable  speaker,  when  I  see  a  child  backslide  I  feel  as  guilty 
for  that  child  as  when  I  first  repented  myself.  After  another  cleri- 
cal brother  had  given  his  particular  experience  on  this  children's 
topic,  Mr.  Sankey  suggested  that  there  be  sung  a  children's  hymn, 
which  was  done,  number  97  being  selected.  Dr.  Johnson  followed 
in  prayer,  and  there  was  sung,  "Behold  what  love,  what  boundless 
love."  "  The  Rock  of  Ages"  was  then  sent  swelling  upward,  for 
Mr.  Moody  wanted  the  singing  of  an  old  church  hymn  to  open  the 
discussion  upon  the  question  of  church  music. 

'•HOW  SHALL  WE   INTEREST  OUR  CHILDREN   IN   THE  GOSPEL?" 

Rev.  E.  C.  Ray,  pastor  of  Presbyterian  Church,  of  Hyde  Park, 
spoke  as  follows: 

The  same  old  gospel  that  has  been  preached  from  Eden  down. 
The  same  child-nature  in  Cain  and  Abel  and  our  babies.  The  same 
old  promise,  "Train  up  a  child  in  the  way  he  should  go,  and  when 
he  is  old  he  will  not  depart  from  it."  A  good  missionary's  bad  son 
came  to  Christ  late  in  life.  His  old  mother  said,  "'I  expected  it;  I 
always  believed  the  promise,  'Train  up  a  child  in  the  way  he  should 
go,  and  when  he  is  old  he  will  not  depart  from  it.'  "  We  take  the 
promise  otherwise.  There  is  only  one  way — Christ.  We  believe 
that  if  ^ve  train  up  our  children  in  Christ  they  will  never  depart 
from  Him,  never  need  to  come  back  from  sin  to  Him  in  old  age. 
Now  what  characteristics  of  child-nature  must  we  consider  in  order 
so  to  present  the  gospel  that  they  shall  be  savingly,  permanently 
interested  in  it? 

In  working  iron  we  use  tools  various.  But  fire  to  soften  comes 
first.  Love  is  the  force  to  make  human  nature  plastic.  We  must 
love  the  child  not  only  when  fresh,  rosy  bright,  sweet,  and  clean; 
but  when  dirty  sick,  ignorant,  dull,  cross.  Love  it  because  to  des- 
pise one  of  these  little  ones  is  to  despise  Christ;  love  it  for  what  it 
is  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  in  the  slums,  in  the  present,  in  the 
future.  Such  love  never  faileth.  It  is  a  force  which  makes  the 
child-heart  soft  for  our  molding.  As  God  begins  to  interest  us  in 
the  gospel  by  loving  us,  so  we  must  begin  with  the  little  ones. 

And  then  the  gospel  must  be  addressed  to  their  affections. 
That  gate  into  the  child-heart  stands  always  wide  open.  Take  the 
truth  in  by  that  gate.  Longfellow,  in  his  poem  to  the  children, 
said: 

"The  heart  hath  its  own  memory,  like  the  mind, 

And  in  it  are  enshrined 
The  precious  keepsakes,  into  which  are  wrought 

The  giver's  loving  thought." 


CHRISTIAN    CONVEXTION.  989 

A  little  London  girl  who  took  the  prize  for  a  fine  house  plant, 
was  asked  how  it  thrived  so  in  her  narrow  garret  room.  "I  moved 
it  around  in  the  sun  all  day,"  she  said.  Keep  the  child-heart  in 
the  love  of  God.  That  love  is  a  force;  heat  is  a  mode  of  motion. 
Show  the  gospel  as  it  is,  lovely.  Make  Sunday  lovely.  Make 
church  services  lovely.  Make  home  religion  lovely.  Plant  the 
incorruptible  seed  in  the  affections.  You  can't  interest  a  child  in 
philosophical  religion  or  in  sour  religion.  A  child  in  a  household 
where  there  is  not  the  joy  of  the  Holy  Ghost  is  like  a  tender  plant 
in  a  cellar. 

And  love  alone  can  interest  children  in  gospel  work.  Dr.  C.  S. 
Robinson  says:  "I  once  promised  to  help  a  disabled  shoemaker  with 
work.  The  friend  who  asked  me,  a  New  York  merchant,  walked 
six  miles  that  winter  night  to  cheer  the  poor  fellow's  heart  with  the 
news.  If  ever  I  straightened  myself  up  to  do  something  for  another 
it  was  when  I  heard  that.  A  man  loved  him ;  then  so  did  I."  The 
pitying  love  of  God  for  the  lost;  the  cross  with  its  extended  arms, 
embracing  all  races;  your  own  earnest  desire  to  save  souls;  these 
will  interest  the  children  in  gospel  work.  Draw  out  a  full  clear 
note  from  your  violin  and  the  harp  in  the  corner  will  echo  it.  There 
are  tender  strings  in  the  child-heart  that  wait  to  be  sympathetically 
awakened. 

Wordsworth,  reviewing  his  childhood,  found  this: 

"  Heaven  lies  all  about  us  in  our  infancy; 
Shades  of  the  prison  house  begin  to  close 

Upon  the  growing  boy  ; 
But  he  beholds  the  light,  and  whence  it  flows, 

He  sees  it  in  his  joy  ; 
The  youth  who  daily  farther  from  the  East 
Must  travel,  still  is  nature's  priest. 

And  by  the  vision  splendid 

Is  on  his  way  attended ; 
At  length  the  man  perceives  it  die  away 
And  fade  into  the  common  light  of  day. 

Imagination  belongs  to  childhood  and  youth.  The  child-hunger 
for  Arabian  Nights,  Munchausen,  Grimm,  and  Hans  Christian 
Andersen  is  from  above,  heaven-sent.  The  strong,  vivid  imagina- 
tion w^hich  makes  a  princess  of  a  soiled  rag  doll,  and  of  some  old 
boards  a  palace,  must  be  utilized  in  interesting  the  child  in  the  gos- 
pel. Those  Old  Testament  stories — we  have  to  cudgel  our  brains 
sometimes  to  get  homiletics  out  of  them  and  to  keep  the  critics' 
hands  off — the  children  love  them.  That  is  how  the  Bible  gets  hold 
of  them.  Biography,  w^hich  makes  so  large  a  part  of  the  word,  and 
modern  biography,  "are  inexhaustible  stores  of  food  for  child  piety. 
Stories  of  martyrs  and  of  missionaries,  and  little  stories  of  Christian 


990  CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION. 

children,  and  stories  illustrating  all  the  phases  of  gospel  truth,  are 
the  natural  food  of  the  young.  The  common  sneer  against  Sunday 
school  story-hooks  seems  to  me  a  curl  of  the  lip  of  ignorance.  Why 
do  not  such  forbid  Mr.  Moody  to  use  anecdotes?  Because  "with- 
out a  parable  spake  He  not  unto  them."  Above  all,  the  story  of 
Jesus — ^it  runs  from  Genesis  to  Revelation.  A  mother  returning 
from  communion  told  her  curious  children  the  story  of  the  Last 
Supper.  She  illustrated  on  the  sofa  how  they  sat,  and  how  John 
lay  in  the  bosom  of  the  dear  Savior.  One  little  fellow  looked  up 
with  face  all  aglow,  "Mamma,  I  should  like  to  have  been  Johnny !" 
The  story,  through  his  imagination,  entered  his  heart  and  kindled 
there  love  for  Christ. 

Remember  that  imagination  deals  only  with  what  is  already  in 
the  memory.  While  you  are  talking  the  child's  imagination  is 
building  up  the  picture  as  w^ell  as  it  can  with  what  stores  it  already 
has.     So  our  words  must  be  simple,  child-words  all  of  thcin. 

I  once  told  the  Sunday  school  about  David  and  Goliath,  how 
the  lad  slew  him  with  a  pebble.  My  little  girl's  memory  had  not 
that  word,  so  she  took  the  one  most  like  it,  and  told  her  mother 
that  David  slew  Goliath,  wonderful  thing,  with  a  bubble!  It  takes 
study  and  pains  to  speak  clearly  to  the  child  imagination.  Buy  and 
read  to  yourself  some  one-syllable  books.  Write  out  a  sermon  or 
Sunday  school  lesson  now  and  then  in  short  words.  Most  of  the 
inattention  of  children  is  caused,  I  believe,  by  our  long  words, 
meaning  nothing  to  them,  and  shunting  their  minds  from  the  track 
of  our  thought. 

Remember  that  the  child-imagination  builds  ideals  easily.  Life's 
aims  are  largely  directed  by"  these.  Hence  children  need  sowing 
and  planting  rather  than  weeding  and  pruning.  Their  imaginations 
apprehend  things  positively,  not  negatively ;  kindle  and  glow  when 
a  holy  life  is  pictured,  but  shrink  timid  and  discouragedly  under 
cold  rebuke.  Continual  fault-finding  discourages  them.  Nagging 
and  scolding  are  fatal  to  child-growth.  What  a  sad  picture  that  is 
in  George  Combe's  autobiography,  where  he  tells  how  all  his  child- 
hood he  pined  and  hungered  for  that  approving,  encouraging  word 
which  never  came.  A  smile,  a  kind  word,  a  caress  are  gentle  dew 
and  rain  upon  the  fallow  soil  of  the  child-nature.  Tell  the  little 
ones  more  about  that  Savior  who  will  forgive  the  penitent  child 
seventy  times  seven  times  in  a  day.  Tell  them  about  the  prodigal's 
Father.  Lead  them  to  Him.  Have  hope  for  them,  and  give  them 
the  hopefulness.  We  are  saved  by  faith.  There  is  no  danger  of  a 
child  having  too  much  faith.  Why,  by  rebukes  and  discourage- 
ment, fill  it  with  doubts  and  fears  ? 

Child-memory  has  two  characteristics — readiness  to  acquire  and 
readiness  to  forget.     Hence  it  should  be  stored  with  golden  words 


CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION.  951 

and  thoughts,  and  they  should  be  often  reviewed.  A  child  once 
taught  is  not  taught  forever.  After  driving  we  must  clinch.  I  am 
afnud  that  we  make  a  great  blunder  in  filling  these  bright,  hungry, 
but  slippery,  little  memories  with  a  thousand  non-essential  things, 
instead  of  taking  more  pains  to  drive  home  the  great  truths.  Bet- 
ter a  few  essential  truths  about  God  and  the  Bible  and  the  soul, 
clearly  understood,  and  made  a  part  of  the  child's  being  by  reitera- 
tion, illustration,  explanation  and  example,  than  a  thousand  non- 
essentials left  unexplained  in  the  memory,  and  which  the  youth  or 
man  may  have  to  give  up  with  shock  after  shock  to  his  faith. 
This  may  be  somewhat  hard  upon  denominationalism.  It  will  be 
good  for"  the  child  and  for  Christianity.  I  would  therefore  stock 
the  memorv  with  the  sweetest  and  richest  and  strongest  things  of 
the  Bible,  clearly  understood,  and  fixed  there.  I  would  make  him 
love  the  word  of  God  above  his  necessary  food,  and  I  would  leave 
him  to  become  wiser  than  all  his  teachers  in  minor  and  disputed 
matters  by  his  more  mature  study. 

Children  are  intensely  logical.  They  have  that  sort  of  logic 
which  Sir  William  Hamilton  said  that  Dr.  Guthrie  had  in  his  ser- 
mons— where  there  is  but  one  step  between  the  premise  and  the  con- 
clusion— the  strongest  and  the  best  logic  it  is.  Sir  William  Hamilton 
said.     This  should  teach  us  several  things. 

The  child  must  be  brought  to  a  decision  for  Christ.  Drifting 
in  uncertainty  is  illogical,  and  the  child  knows  it.  "Are  you  a 
Christian?  Will  you  be  one  now  and  henceforth?"  These  ques- 
tions requi^-e  immediate  pressing.  This  is  not  exactly  "early  con- 
version," for  the  child  may  be  already  a  child  of  God,  and  need  no 
conversion;  but  it  does  need  clear,  definite  choice  of  Christ  in  any 
case.  The  logic  of  the  child-mind  tends  to  follow  out  the  choice  in 
a  growing  Christian  life. 

And  the  practical  logic  of  child-nature  demands  that  its  ideals 
be  made  very  simple  and  every-day.  Every  talk  at  the  mother's 
knee  about  jesus,  every  .Sunday  school  lesson  needs  to  be  made 
practical.  The  infant  class  teacher  told  the  story  of  the  cross  and 
asked,  "What  will  you  do  for  Jesus?"  A  poor  little  girl,  who  was 
hardly  used,  and  whose  weary  little  bare  feet  were  often  reluctant 
to  go  where  they  were  bidden,  said,  "I'll  run  his  arrants."  Can't  you 
imagine  how  that  lesson  was  made  practical  for  her  and  the  rest? 
We  often  find  it  hard  for  ourselves  to  make  the  connection  between 
the  boiler  and  the  engine,  as  Phillips  Brooks  says,  between  our  warm 
love  and  our  practical  living;  we  must  help  the  little  folks  to 
do  this. 

Child-logic  keenly  comprehends  the  logic  of  a  life,  I  was  once 
in  a  reform  club  meeting,  and  listened  with  interest,  as  all  did,  until 
a  neighbor  drew  a  half-emptied  whisky  bottle  from   the   speaker's 


992  CHRISTIAN    CON^EXTION. 

pocket.  Logic  was  against  him,  and  his  words  did  not  count  atter 
that.  Who  can  express  the  importance  of  the  teacher's  own  piety? 
Of  the  parents'  and  Christian  brothers'  and  sisters'  home  Hfe?  If 
we  talk  much  about  business  and  pleasure  and  our  neighbors,  and 
little  about  spiritual  things,  the  child-logic  will  value  them  accord- 
ingly. If  we  have  our  boy  give  a  penny  to  the  heathen,  and  five 
cents  for  candy  or  fruit,  will  he  not  value  the  gospel  and  the  fruit 
or  candy  accordingly?  I  am  persuaded  that  the  small  gifts  of 
mature  Christians  are  to  be  charged  in  part  to  the  training  of  their 
tender  years.  Children  do  not  readily  believe  that  one  is  a  hypo- 
crite. Thev  sooner  place  the  hypocrite's  valuation  upon  the  gospel. 
The  merciless  and  stern  logic  of  our  child  demands  a  holy  life 
of  us. 

Individuality  naturally  comes  last.  "  Train  up  a  child  in  the 
way  he  should  go — according  to  his  way" — is  the  Hebrew.  We 
can't  make  Christians  as  we  do  spools  and  buttons.  We  have  got 
to  know  each  child  and  suit  our  approaches  to  his  needs.  I 
remember  how  one  little  boy  was  urged  by  his  teacher  again  and 
again  to  be  converted.  Poor  little  chap,  he  was  loving  Jesus  and 
trying  to  serve  Him.  He  needed  encouragement,  faith,  hope.  The 
exhortations  made  him  feel  that  something  was  wrong  he  knew 
not  what.  So  he  gave  the  whole  thing  up  in  despair,  and  waited 
fifteen  years  for  the  Lord  to  convert  him.  The  teacher  urged  the 
wrong  boy.  Soul-medicine  must  be  given  intelligently.  And 
remember  that  children  change  like  that  little  green  shoot  of  the 
spring,  which  is  tall  and  budding  in  a  few  months.  Your  boy  of 
six  months  ago  is  not  the  boy  of  to-day.  While  there  are  many 
things  which  may  be  said  to  all"  children,  yet  there  are  others  which 
must  be  fitted  to  each  child's  present  heart.  A  quick,  intelligent, 
loving,  familiar  sympathy  with  the  little  one's  inner  life  is  essential 
to  success.  Close  that  door  to  your  child's  nature  by  harshness  and 
unreasonableness,  and  you  will  never  enter  that  inner  life  more. 
We  must  be  children  with  the  children,  and  win,  at  any  cost  of  self- 
pleasing  authority  and  government,  the  inner  citadel  of  the  heart. 
And  so  we  get  back  again  to  what  we  started  with — the  affections. 
Love  first  and  last. 

And  who  is  sufficient  for  these  things?  You  thought  when 
your  first-born  came  that  all  the  difficulty  would  be  in  undei'stand 
ing  that  heart!  No.  Each  new  child  is  a  new  problem  requiring 
a  new  solution.  O  hard  and  heavy  task !  I  felt  what  Mr.  Moody 
said  Tuesday  afternoon,  "  Ministers  do  not  know  how  to  talk  to 
mothers;  it  needs  a  mother  to  do  it."  That  is  true.  I  wish  a 
mother  were  in  my  place  to-day.  I  wish  my  mother  could  speak 
to  you  to-day.  But  I  rest  my  faith  and  hope  on  Him  who  loved  the 
little  ones;  so  that  they  came  to  His  arms  and  sung  His  hosannahs. 


CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION.  993 

He  loves  my  little  ones,  too,  my  Sunday-school  class.  I  will  seek 
for  guidance  from  that  Spirit  who  was  on  Him  without  measure. 
He  is  freely  given  to  those  who  ask  Him. 

Mr.  Sankey  then  addressed  the  convention  on  the  topic: 

"HOW    MAY    MUSIC     BE     BEST     USED     AND     CONTROLLED     IN     PRO- 
MOTING   WORSHIP    AND    SPREADING    THE    GOSPEL?" 

He  said : 

This  is  a  broad  question,  covering  a  good  deal  of  ground. 
I  will  not  attempt  to  cover  all  the  ground,  but  I  will  make  a  few 
statements,  the  result  of  years  of  experience  in  trying  to  teach  the 
gospel  in  song.  About  thirteen  years  ago  I  left  my  home  in  Penn- 
sylvania to  attend  a  convention  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association  held  at  Indianapolis.  I  had  been  engaged  in  Christian 
work  for  many  years,  and  had  been  leading  a  service  of  praise  in 
my  own  town.  I  was  sent  by  the  Association  to  attend  the  conven- 
tion at  Indianapolis.  I  remember  one  morning,  at  the  early  hour  of 
six  o'clock,  a  prayer  meeting  was  announced,  to  be  held  in  the  Bap- 
tist Church  there,  to  be  conducted  by  my  friend  who  presides  at 
this  meeting.  My  delegation  promised  to  be  there.  Getting  up 
early,  we  went  there  and  found  the  room  crowded.  The  meeting 
was  going  on,  and  an  old  gentleman,  a  godly  man,  was  leading  the 
singing.  He  was  singing  some  of  the  very  old  hymns  with  very 
old  tunes,  and  the  congregation  of  young  men  were  not  singing  as 
they  might.  I  remember  a  Rev.  Mr.  McMullen  was  sitting  by  me, 
and  during  a  prayer,  he  asked  me  at  the  conclusion  to  sing  one  of 
the  gospel  hymns. 

I  did  not  like  to  interfere,  but  he  said  it  was  a  young  men's 
meeting,  and  the  young  men  were  not  taking  the  interest  they 
would  if  the  music  were  such  as  they  could  and  would  sing.  I 
started  one  of  the  hymns  I  knew  they  were  all  accustomed  to  sing- 
ing. We  sang,  "There  is  a  fountain  filled  with  blood."  I  remem- 
ber how  the  young  men  there  took  hold  of  that  hymn  and  such  a 
volume  as  rose  upon  the  air.  That  morning  was  the  first  time  I 
ever  met  our  brother  here.  We  met  in  that  prayer  meeting,  and 
have  been  together  almost  ever  since.  I  remember  that  twelve 
years  ago  I  came  to  this  city  at  his  invitation,  and  the  day  I  arrived 
we  went  to  visit  a  number  of  poor  families  on  the  North  Side.  We 
went  into  these  poor  homes,  among  the  sick  and  the  dying,  and 
Mr.  Moody  would  pray  with  the  people  and  ask  me  to  sing  a 
hymn.  The  hearts  of  these  people  were  touched  and  they  were 
bound  to  Christ,  I  believe  that  the  work  of  that  day  will  tell  in 
eternity.  I  believe  God  blessed  that  day's  work.  Then  in  the 
winter  after  the  fire  we  worked  among  these  poor  people  and  God 


994  CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION. 

blessed  our  efforts.     I  believe  He  blessed  these   gospel  hymns,  and 
gave  them  a  power  that  they  never  had  before. 

When  we  were  in  Glasgow  a  poor  mother  came  up  to  me  and 
said,  "I  want  to  tell  you  about  my  little  Mary.  She  was  struck  by 
the  gospel  hymns,  and  especially  by  the  one.  'vSafe  in  the  arms  of 
Jesus.'  The  child  loved  the  hymn  and  was  always  singing  it.  Six 
months  ago  little  Mary  sickened  and  died,  but  just  before  she 
died  she  said,  'Mother,  raise  me  up,  and  get  my  hymn-book,  and 
find  No.  13.'  That  was  her  favorite,  and  she  sang  it  through,  and 
as  I  laid  her  down  again  she  said,  'Mother,  I  am  going  now  to  be 
with  Jesus.  Please  lay  my  little  hymn-book  in  the  coffin  on  my 
breast  open  at  that  page.'  " 

And  so  little  Mary  died  singing  "Safe  in  the  arms  of  Jesus,"  and 
was  laid  away  with  that  h^aiiu  in  her  grave.  There  are  so  many 
of  these  little  incidents  that  I  have  no  question  that  God  has 
blessed  these  hymns,  and  they  have  been  a  blessing  to  the 
people. 

Very  much  depends  upon  the  minister  of  the  gospel  in  the  sing- 
ing iu  church,  as  to  whether  it  shall  prove  effective  or  not.  I  feel 
the  importance  of  this,  that  the  church  should  take  charge  of  the 
music  and  conduct  it,  and  not  let  the  choir  take  it  and  do  as  they 
please.  I  find  that  there  are  two  parties  in  the  church  often,  and 
there  is  a  difference  of  opinion  as  to  conducting  the  services,  I 
think,  though,  all  services  should  be  conducted  by  the  minister. 
When  the  leaders  have  not  good  voices  to  lead,  the  church  should 
take  charge  and  appoint  those  who  will.  I  find  that  with  very  little 
leading  the  people  will  sing  well,  and  think  that  has  been  pretty 
well  demonstrated  here  to-day.  There  should  be  a  good  supply  of 
books  in  the  pews.  I  agree  with  what  Mr.  Jacobs  said  this  morning 
about  Bibles  in  the  churches,  but  I  also  want  plenty  of  hymn-books. 
It  is  hard  for  the  people  to  worship  God  without  hymn-books.  The 
churches,  many  of  them,  most  of  them,  have  too  large  and  too  ex- 
pensive i)ooks.  If  they  would  have  smaller  books  and  larger 
collections  of  them,  so  that  there  would  be  books  for  all  strangers 
who  come  in,  it  would  result  in  better  singing. 

Another  point  is  regarding  the  organ.  It  should  be  in  front, 
near  the  pulpit.  I  would  have  the  singers  in  front  also.  I  should 
have  as  many  in  the  choir  as  possible,  but  they  should  all  be  Christian 
singers  to  lead  in  the  songs  of  praise.     [Applause]. 

When  we  went  to  England  we  made  a  point  of  this.  We  sent 
word  to  the  places  where  we  were  to  hold  meetings  that  we  want- 
ed Christian  choirs.  You  know  whether  God  blessed  that  work. 
God  was  with  the  singers.  I  have  noticed  that  so  far  as  we  have 
departed  from  that  rule  we  have  not  had  the  good  results.  We 
have   had  excellent  singing  from   choirs,  but  while   the  song  was 


CHRISTIAN    COXVENTIOX.  995 

grand  there  was  not  that   sph'itual   power   manifest  when  we   had 
Christians  in  the  choir. 

As  to  the  organ-playing,  I  beheve  in  teaching  the  sons  and 
daughters  to  play.  I  have  a  son  learning  to  play  church  music, 
and  I  would  rather  have  been  a  good  player  on  the  organ  than  a 
finished  pianist.  If  we  had  several  in  the  Church  who  could  play 
the  organ  and  be  ready  to  take  the  organist's  jDlace,  we  miglit  not 
have  so  much  trouble  with  him.  It  would  have  a  good  cftect  to 
say  to  him  once  in  a  while  that  his  place  could  be  supplied  if  he 
did  not  like  to  play  the  music  the  church  wanted.  If  I  could  not 
get  a  Christian  choir,  I  believe  I  should  go  back  to  the  old  form  in 
Scotland  and  have  a  precentor — have  a  man  stand  up  before  the 
congregation  and  invite  the  people  to  sing.  That  kind  of  singing 
will  get  the  congregation  to  singing  better.  Then  there  is  solo 
singing.  I  would  use  it  sjDarely,  but  I  would  use  it.  If  I  had  one 
who  had  a  voice  and  heart  to  sing  I  should  let  him  or  her  sing,  but 
it  must  be  from  the  heart.  I  believe  David  sung  solos  ;  but  I  never 
sung  a  solo  in  my  life  to  worship  God.  I  have  sung  little  songs 
that  had  a  story  which  I  wished  to  give  to  the  people. 

Mr.  Sankey  then  told  the  story  of  meeting  an  old  Scotchman 
on  board  a  steamer  when  crossing  to  Europe,  and  when  they  sang 
some  of  the  gospel  hymns,  he  thought  it  was  a  sin  to  worship  God 
with  songs  composed  by  human  beings.  He  wanted  the  psalms 
sung.  When  that  man  heard  the  "Ninety  and  Nine"  sung  he  wept 
like  a  child  and  wanted  the  whole  collection,  and  invited  the  singer  to 
visit  him  and  sing  them  to  his  family.  That  man's  prejudices  were 
broken  down  by  a  simple  story  in  song.  There  was  solo  singing, 
congregational  singing,  artistic  singing,  and  evangelical  singing. 
In  regard  to  the  last,  he  believed  in  explaining  the  hymns  and  get- 
ting the  people  to  thoroughly  understand  them  before  letting  them 
sing.  Mr.  vSpurgeon  always  talked  over  his  hvmns  until  the 
people  were  fired  with  them  and  and  all  aglow  with  enthusiasm  to 
sing. 

I  think  that  if  some  ministers  would  make  more  of  music  it 
would  be  better.  Mr.  Moody  makes  a  good  deal  of  singing;  but  I 
think  we  might  have  more  of  it.  If  you  give  it  to  children  you 
will  get  their  help.  And  so  in  regard  to  the  matter  of  singing;  if 
you  take  hold  of  it  you  can  make  it  a  power.  It  will  be  a  power  if 
you  seek  to  make  it  so.  But  I  would  not  like  to  have  it  frittered 
away.     I  think  the  church  ought  to  manage  it — have  charge  of  it. 

Now,  are  there  any  questions  you  would  like  to  ask?  If  so,  I 
will  try  my  best  to  answer  them. 

The  following  questions  and  answers  were  then  asked  and 
given  ? 

"What  do  vou  think  of  interludes?" 


996  CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION. 

I  would  have  a  very  simple  interlude;  possibly  the  concluding 
strain  of  a  hymn,  perhaps  the  concluding  strain  of  the  hymn 
you  have  just  been  singing;  but  you  may  have  an  impro- 
vised interlude  just  to  give  the  singers  a  rest.  I  do  not  like  the 
instruments.  The  melody  is  broken  thereby.  It  is  like  a  break  in 
a  prayer  meeting  when  nobody  comes  up  to  pray.  The  value  of 
the  inte  rlude  is  that  the  instrument  keeps  up  the  tune  in  which  you 
have  been  singing.  I  think  there  can  be  no  objection  to  that.  But  the 
interlude  that  is  interjected  sometimes  between  the  verses,  that  have 
nothing  in  them  in  the  spirit  of  the  singing,  I  think  is  all  wrong. 
I  was  quite  interested  once  in  a  church  where  I  was  with  my  family. 
After  the  services  a  little  boy  said  to  his  mother:  "Mamma,  the  tune 
that  that  lady  pla3'ed  to  was  the  tune  that  was  played  in  Barnum's 
procession."  It  really  was  that  tune.  It  was  a  popular  tune,  and  the 
lady  played  it  as  we  went  out.  Even  the  little  boy,  with  his  quick 
ear,  recognized  it." 

"How  about  the  case  of  cornets  and  other  musical  instruments  in 
connection  with  the  organ  ?" 

That  question  was  asked  me  in  private  by  a  minister  on  the 
platform.  I  said,  "yes;"  that  there  could  be  no  objection  to  their 
introduction  if  it  was  done  by  a  body  of  Christian  young  men — dis- 
tinctively Christian  men.  If  they  were  such  I  would  like  them  to  use 
them,  ifthey  wished.  They  had  them  or  similar  instruments  in  old 
times — organs  and  cymbals  and  timbrels.  I  don't  see  if  we  have 
them  why  we  should  not  use  them  and  have  the  best  music  we  can; 
though  Idon't  think  I  would  have  them  used  in  regular  church 
services.  But  in  evangelical  services,  I  would  use  them,  and  use 
them  in  a  Christian  manner." 

'i  Would  you  go  out  of  church  collections  for  hymns?" 

No  sir;  I  think  there  are  plenty  of  beautiful  hymns  in  our 
church  collections. 

"What  do  you  think  of  the  introduction  of  classical 
music?   " 

.  I  will  tell  you  in  regard  to  that.  At  one  place  in  England 
where  we  had  four  services  a  day,  being  tired,  I  went  out  and  went 
to  a  cathedral  in  the  city,  as  it  was  said  that  at  a  certain  time  every 
day,  four  o'clock,  there  was  a  beautiful  singing  service — classic 
music — by  the  best  singers  in  England.  It  was  true.  I  went  there, 
supposing  that  I  would  hardly  be  able  to  get  in,  though  it  was  a 
very  large  cathedral.  There  were  about  fifty  singers,  and  I  believe 
I  never  heard  sweeter  singing  or  more  beautiful  music.  I  sat  down 
and  looked  around  for  the  congregation,  but  I  saw  none.  Soon  I 
was  lulled  to  a  sense  of  sweet,  melodious  music.  Again  I  looked 
around  to  see  how  many  had  arrived  and  were  listening  to  the 
music.      Just   fourteen — a    service    that    had    cost    several    hundred 


CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION.  997 

dollars  for  that  afternoon  alone;  only  fourteen  persons  to  enjoy  that 
splendid  music. 

"  Don't  you  think  that  circus  songs  can  be  converted  into  church 
music?" 

No,     I  don't  think  I  would  go  out  and  get  the  circus  tunes. 

"What  if  the  circus  tunes  become  circumcised?"  asked  a  humor- 
ous minister. 

Mr.  vSankey,  answering:  "Perhaps  it  might  do  them  good." 

"  Do  you  think  it  right  to  pay  singers  for  their  services?" 

I  have  no  objection  to  those  who  devote  their  lives  to  singing 
being  paid.  The  laborer  is  worthy  of  his  hire.  But  I  think  you 
can  find  enough  singers  in  the  congregation  who  will  do  it  for 
nothing;  but  the  leader  should  be  paid. 

Answers  were  then  given  as  follows  to  questions  put: 

I  would  have  a  choir  and  I  would  have  more  of  its  singing  in 
the  church  before  the  preaching  commences.  If  you  did  this  you 
would  get  more  practice  and  the  result  also  would  be  larger  congre- 
gations. I  think  the  tendency  is  to  have  too  monotonous  forms  in 
singing.  We  have  had  the  same  hymns  sung  here  in  half  a  dozen 
different  forms.  I  do  not  know,  however,  that  I  would  have  that 
in  regular  services." 

"  What  do  you  think  about  music  after  services  are  closed  ?  " 

I  would  not  have  any  playing  after  benediction  is  pronounced. 
Mr.  Spurgeon,  when  he  closes  his  addresses,  raises  his  hand  and 
pronounces  the  benediction,  and  they  go  away  filled  with  the  truth 
and  talking  about  it.  They  do  not  have  the  music  to  dispel  the 
service  from  their  minds.  I  liked  the  method  very  much.  They 
went  away  filled  with  his  service.  I  don't  like  the  singing  to  come 
in  to  drive  away  the  gospel.  I  don't  like  the  church  to  iDecome  a 
singing-school. 

At  this  point  some  "  unsankeymonious  "  infidel  in  the  audience 
called  out: 

"  Will  you  please  sing  us  •  99  '  to  break  this  monotony." 

Mr.  Sankey  good  naturedly  responded : 

Yes,  after  I  get  through.  I  would  advise  the  Sabbath  school  to 
use  such  hymns  as  can  be  used  in  the  church;  and  I  would  have  a 
children's  hymn  too.  I  think  I  would  have  a  special  hymn  for 
them.  I  would  also  have  such  hymns  in  the  Sunday  school  as  would 
induce  them  to  read  good  gospel  truth.  In  the  evening  services 
I  would  have  gospel  hymns  sung,  though  using  the  regular  hymn 
book  in  the  morning  services. 

"What  do  you  think  of  singing  in  parts?" 

I  would  have  lead  the  whole  four  parts.  In  Germany,  where 
they  have  the  best  congregational  singing  in  the  world,  they  all  sing 
the  same  part.     I  think  it  is  nice  for  the  quartet  to  sing  alone;  then 


998  ClIllISTlAX    COXVEXTION. 

the  congregation  sing  a  portion.  What  can  be  objected  to  it?  I 
think  breaking  up  the  monotony  by  going  from  one  part  to  congre- 
gational singing  is  not  a  bad  thing. 

"Why  cannot  we  have  a  singing  union  of  Sunday  school  scholars 
in  Chicago  as  well  as  they  have  in  London?" 

There  is  no  reason  why  we  cannot;  but  I  think  the  project  of 
Mr,  ISIoody  for  a  training  school  for  Bible  readers,  colporteurs, 
home  missionaries,  etc.,  would,  perhaps,  be  the  best.  I  think  this 
training  school  should  have  one  department  for  training  people  how 
to  take  charge  of  singing  in  the  Sunday  school.  It  is  easy  to  criti- 
cise a  singer  who  conducts  Sunday  school  exercises,  but  where  can 
they  get  trained  men?  They  are  prepared  in  regular  colleges  or 
otherwise  for  singing  in  concerts,  but  there  is  no  place  where  Chris- 
tian singers  can  be  taught  their  duties.  I  hope  we  will  have  a  branch 
of  this  sort.     [Applause.] 

Mr.  Sankey  having  taken,  as  he  thought,  sufficient  time  in  the 
fruitful  process  of  answering  these  pertinent  questions  on  church 
music,  Mr.  James  McGranahan  was  introduced  and  continued  the 
subject.     Propounding  the  topical  question. 

Mr.  McGranahan  said:  First  (negatively),  it  cannot  be  best  used 
and  controlled  in  promoting  worship  by  those  who  are  not  worshipers. 
"God  is  a  Spirit,  and  those  who  worship  Him  must  worship  Him  in 
spirit  ancfin  truth."  It  cannot  be  best  used  and  controlled  for  spread- 
ing the  gospel  by  those  who  do  not  believe  and  receive  the  gospel ;  by 
those  who  have  not  tasted  and  seen  that  the  Lord  is  good;  who  have 
not  quenched  their  own  thirst  by  drinking  of  the  water  of  life;  who 
have  not  received  Christ,  and  with  Him  the  gift  of  eternal  life. 

By  education  and  culture  a  Pharisee  may  frame  what  to  human 
ear  may  seem  a  beautiful,  well-rounded  prayer,  and  yet  be  like  the 
one  who  stood  in  the  temple,  and  prayed  thus  with  himself  ;  "God, 
I  thank  Thee,  I  am  not  as  other  men.  I  iast,  I  give  of  all  I  pos- 
sess." It  is  the  I,  I,  I,  I,  I,  five  times  in  a  single  breath:  he  has  no 
need  of  the  Spirit  to  help  his  infirmities;  he  is  praying  ''with  him- 
self," while  the  poor  Publican,  you  remember,  could  not  so  much  as 
lift  up  his  ej-es,  for  he  \vas  not  praying  "with  himself,"  but  to  God, 
and  as  he  prayed  with  the  spirit  "God  be  merciful  to  me,  a  sinner," 
we  are  told  he  "went  down  to  his  house  justified," 

And  just  so  may  it  be  with  the  singer;  by  his  art  he  may  sing 
the  precious  truths  of  the  gospel  with  such  careful  expression  and 
studied  effect  that  to  human  ear.  there  is,  perhaps,  nothing  more  to 
desire,  and  yet  if  he  has  never  bowed  to  the  truth  he  sings,  God 
knows  it  is  all  art  and  not  heart,  and  like  the  praying  of  the  Phari- 
see, it  is  more  with  himself  than  with  the  spirit  of  God. 

Come  with  me  into  the  studio  of  the  sculptor;  see  that  piece  of 
statuary — beautiful,  true    to    nature — faithfully    fashioned  in  every 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  or  !|  (  miS 


CHRISTIAN    COXVENTIOX.  999 

feature  to  "human  form  divine,"  as  a  work  of  art,  it  is  a  triumph, 
but  as  a  thing  ofHfe,  it  is  cold  and  inanimate  as  the  quarry  from 
whence  it  was  taken.  It  is  nothing  more  than  was  Adam  before 
God  breathed  into  his  nostrils  the  bixath  of  life,  and  he  became  a 
living  soul.  Life-like  as  it  may  seem,  who  would  send  it  to  Wash- 
ington to  represent  them  in  Congress,  or  the  Senate  Chamber,  or.  if 
tliey  did,  would  the  President  mistake  it  for  a  Senator — he  might 
give  it  a  place  in  his  Cabinet — but  it  would  be  among  his  geological 
specimens,  and  not  his  counselors. 

Come,  now,  into  one  of  our  well-ordered  (?)  fashionable 
churches.  It  is  the  morning  service,  and  the  exercises  have  just  com- 
menced. What  a  grand  organ;  brilliant  organist,  and  the  choir 
superb,  soprano  so  clear,  alto  so  rich,  tenor  so  tender,  bass  so  deep, 
and  the  music  so  delightful  !  Nothing  better  outside  of  the  concert- 
room  or  behind  the  footlights.  Isn't  it  fine?  Well,  suppose  it  is; 
so  is  the  statuary  in  the  studio. 

But  how  about  the  worship?  Do  they  believe  what  they  sing? 
Are  they  Christians?  They  do  not  even  profess  to  be.  They  sing 
because  diey  love  to  sing,  or,  perhaps,  they  regard  the  church  as  a 
harmless,  respectable  sort  of  institution,  and  kindly  favor  it  with 
their  patronage,  or,  as  a  mere  matter  of  business,  sing  because  they 
are  paid  for  it.  But,  in  the  light  of  God's  word,  can  the  music  under 
such  circumstances  be  regarded  as  in  any  degree  calculated  to 
promote  the  worship  of  God  or  the  spread  of  the  gospel.  As  w^ell 
might  we  expect  a  graven  image  to  render  acceptable  service  to  the 
President  at  Washington  as  the  singer  who  is  still  dead  in  trespasses 
and  sins,  not  having  been  "born  again  "  to  render  acceptable  wor- 
ship to  the  King  of  kings  and  Lord  of  lords. 

When  the  sculptor,  with  his  chisel,  can  put  the  breath  of  life 
into  his  marble  statue  and  mike  it  a  living  soul  to  fitly  represent  a 
living  people,  then  perhaps  the  smger  who  is  spiritually  dead  may 
hope  to  breathe  into  his  song  spn-itual  life  and  power  such  as  shall 
promote  the  worship  of  God  and  the  spread  of  the  gospel. 

But  the  sculptor  does  not  claim  life  for  his  statue,  but  only  a 
likeness  to  life — an  imitation  of  that  which  has  life — a  specimen  of 
his  workmanship  in  the  art  of  sculpture.  And  can  more  be  claimed 
for  the  music  of  the  sanctuary  when  thus  produced  by  those  who 
are,  in  the  language  of  the  Scripture,  "dead  in  trespasses  and  sin  ?'* 

Would  it  not  be  in  entire  conformity  with  the  truth  sometimes, 
if  the  minister,  instead  of  saying,  "Let  us  continue  the  worship  of 
God  by  singing  tc  His  praise,"  a  certain  psalm  or  hymn,  if  he  should 
put  it  in  some  such  way  as  this:  "We  will  now  suspend  the  wor- 
ship of  God  for  a  short  time  and  Hsten  to  some  music  from  the 
choir,  who  will  kindlv  give  us  a  devotional  selection  in  imitation  of 
the  worship  of  God,  that  which  has  real   musical  merit,  and  will  at 


1000  CHRISTIAN    COXVEXTIOX. 

the  same  time  show  off  the  voices  to  good  advantage,  that  the  con- 
gregation mav  see  that  they  are  getting  what  they  subscribed  for, 
viz.,  good  music!" 

"But,"  savs  one,  "do  vou  object  to  good  music  in  cburch  ser- 
vices?" I  answer,  "far  from  it."  Let  us  have  music  fittin*  and 
appropriate  and  the  best  of  its  kind ;  but  v^'hen  it  is  the  mere  render- 
ing of  good  music  for  its  own  sake,  a  musical  performance  of  wliat- 
cver  merits  call  it  b\'-  its  right  name— an  entertainment,  a  concert, 
anvthing  vou  deem  proper — but  do  not  miscall  it  worship.  To  ex- 
pect spiritual  power  or  blessing  from  such  a  service  of  song  would 
be  like  expecting  a  well-drilled  army  to  defend  our  city  against  the 
invasion  of  a  mightv  enemy  without  either  bullet  or  ball.  If  noise 
and  smoke  were  all  that  were  necessary,  then  powder  and  blank 
cartridges  might  be  sufficient;  but  since  it  is  not  the  thunder  of  the 
guns  that  does  the  execution  but  the  shot  and  shell  through  them, 
so  it  is  not  the  voices  nor  the  music,  but  the  spirit  of  God  through 
them,  that  carries  conviction  with  the  truth  that  is  sung.  That 
music  has  power  is  not  called  in  question,  Who  has  listened  to  the 
strains  of  the  old  masters  and  not  felt  it?  What  can  be  more  im- 
pressive, at  least  to  the  musician's  ear,  than  the  wonderful  har- 
monies that  Handel  has  used  in  some  of  his  grand  oratorio  choruses. 
For  instance,  the  closing  of  "All  We  Like  Sheep."  where  the 
harmonies  breathe  forth  so  impressively  the  sad  but  life-giving 
message,  "And  the  Lord  hath  laid  on  Him  the  iniquity  of  us  all." 
It  seems  to  me  no  one  can  listen  to  it  and  not  be  moved;  and  yet  if 
they  have  no  interest  in  the  divine  message  it  bears,  but  are  simply 
moved  by  "the  concord  of  sweet  sounds,"  its  power  is  as  fleeting  as 
the  passing  clouds  and  its  effect  vanishes  as  the  morning  dew  before 
the  summer  sun.  He  listens  and  weeps  and  goes  on  as  before  in 
his  selfish  pursuit  of  pleasure  and  sin,  regardless  of  God  and  the 
Savior  He  hath  given. 

I  remember  on  a  certain  occasion  a  musical  director  of  some  dis- 
tinction, in  speaking  of  the  power  ot  music  apart  from  and  indepen- 
dent of  words,  made  reference  to  the  "Hallelujah  Chorus"  in  this 
vv-ay:  "The  choir  begins  with  'Hallelujah,  hallelujah,  hallelujah;' 
and  then  sings  'Hallelujah,  hallelujah,'  after  which  they  proceed  to 
sing  Hallelujah,  hallelujah,'  etc.,  nothing  but  hallelujah,  while  the 
music  keeps  building  up  higher  and  grander  at  every  repetition  of 
the  word."  Now,  at  first  thought,  and  perhaps  to  many  a  mind,  it 
may  have  seemed  like  a  meaningless  jingle  of  syllables  thrown  in 
merelv  to  accommodate  the  music,  but  when  we  take  into  account 
the  meaning  of  this  word  "Hallelujah" — "Praise  Jehovah,"  then  we 
have  the  sequel  to  its  multiplied  repetitions.  It  is  hallelujah,  hal- 
lelujah, page  after  page,  with  music  among  the  grandest  that  has 
ever  been   written.     And   what  is   all   this  "hallelujah"   about,  the 


CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION.  1001 

closing  pages  reveal  it,  "For  the  Lord  God  Omnipotent  reigneth." 
We  shall  comprehend  it  better  when  His  kingdom  has  come,  when 
He  shall  have  appeared,  when  we  shall  be  like  Him  and  see  Him 
as  He  is.  It  was  the  mighty  power  of  this  inspired  message  finding 
fit  utterance  through  the  music,  that  brought  that  royal  audience  to 
its  feet  on  the  occasion  of  its  first  rehearsal,  and  ever  since  ni  every 
land,  it  is  the  custom  for  the  audience,  Christian  and  infidel,  to  rev- 
erently stand  during  the  singing  of  the  "Hallelujah  Chorus." 

Music  as  a  performance  is  one  thing,  and  its  use  in  divine  wor- 
ship is  another.  Its  power  in  worship  is  only  manifest  when  it  has 
its  proper'place  and  relation  to  the  worshipers,  and  becomes  a  sim- 
ple medium  through  which  is  poured  forth,  from  hearts  that  know 
the  "joy  of  salvation"  praise,  prayer  or  adoration  to  Him  whose  they 
are;  or  a  means  of  expressing  or  enforcing  the  truths  of  the  psalm 
or  hymn;  and  thus,  if  you  please,  it  is  simply  an  emphatic  way  of 
preaching. 

What  speech  is  to  the  intellect  song  is  to  the  heart. 

The  minister  in  the  pulpit  reads  the  psalm  or  hymn,  and  so  far 
as  the  power  of  speech  may  go  he  brings  out  the  truth  thereof. 
Then  the  worshijDcrs,  with  the  voice  of  united  song,  take  it  up  as 
the  language  of  their  own  hearts,  and  pour  forth  their  praises  to 
Him  who  alone  is  worthy.  And  as  the  Spirit,  according  to  His 
promise,  guides  into  the  truth  and  fills  each  heart  with  a  sense  of  its 
reality,  then  is  made  manifest  the  power  and  blessing  of  the  "ser- 
vice of  song." 

2.  That  the  service  of  song  may  be  effective  we  must,  as  in  I. 
Corinthians,  xiv.,  7,  "Sing  with  the  understanding."  "Even  things 
without  life-giving  sound,  except  they  give  a  distinction  in  the 
sounds,  how  shall  it  be  known  what  is  piper  or  harper?"  If  these 
things  without  life  are  to  be  clearly  intelligible  how  much  more 
should  living  human  voices  be  understood.  Paul  says,  "Let  him 
that  speaketh  in  an  unknown  tongue  pray  that  he  may  interpret;" 
and  just  so  in  singing.  If  the  choir  sing  in  an  unknown  tongue  let 
them  have  an  interpreter,  but  if  they  sing  in  their  own  vernacular 
let  them  so  sing  that  there  shall  be  no  need  of  one. 

Again  he  says  (I  Cor.  xiv.,  14),  "If  I  pray  in  an  unknown  tongue, 
my  spirit  prayeth  but  my  understanding  is  unfruitful."  Illus- 
trations of  this  are  not  uncommon  in  the  prayer-meeting  whtre 
some  one  in  a  distant  part  of  the  room  undertakes  to  lead  in  a  tone 
too  feeble  to  be  intelligible  to  those  around  him.  While  he  may  be 
praying  with  the  spirit,  he  is  become  a  barbarian  to  those  who 
would  join  with  him.  Again  (15th  verse),  "I  will  pray  with  the 
spirit  and  I  will  pray  with  the  understanding  also;  I  will  sing  (in 
the  same  way)  with  the  spirit  and  I  will  sing  with  the  understand- 
insr  also." 


1002  CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION. 

In  my  native  town  lives  an  old  man  now,  who  is  always  in  his 
pew  on  the  Sabbath,  and  no  matter  what  the  tune — new  or  old,  high 
or  low.  loud  or  soft,  he  is  always  ready  with  his  part,  for  it  is  always 
the  same,  and  no  inatter  whether  there  be  scores  or  hundreds — like 
the  bass  note  of  an  organ  when  the  key  sticks — it  may  always  be 
heard.  While,  no  doubt,  his  spirit  sings,  his  understanding  can 
hardly  be  said  to  be  fruitful,  at  least  so  far  as  others  are  concerned. 
Paul  plainly  means  that  if  we  have  voices,  and  the  use  of  our  pow- 
ers, we  are  responsible  for  using  them  to  the  edification  of  others. 
And  as  we  see  how  God  is  using  the  singing  of  the  gosp.el  in  these 
days  to  reach  men's  hearts,  it  ought  to  stimulate  us  to  a  more  general 
education  in  this  direction,  until  the  ability  to  read  the  music  would 
be  as  common  as  to  read  the  hymns.     Why  not? 

3.  To  sing  with  the  understanding  I  must  be  clear  on  two 
points:  First,  is  what  I  sing  true?  and  second,  am  I  true  in  singing 
it?  First,  is  what  I  sing  true?  Perhaps  one  of  the  greatest 
hindrances  to  power  in  the  "  service  of  song "  lies  in  the  fact 
that  in  the  vast  number  of  hymns  that  have  been  written,  some 
have  found  their  way  into  use  {more  or  less)  that  are  simply  the 
production  of  human  wisdom  or  fancy,  and  when  brought  under  the 
light  of  God's  word  are  found  to  be  but  chaff.  They  may  be  good 
sentiment  and  have  poetic  flow,  but  if  they  do  not  contain  the  ever- 
lasting truth  of  God's  word,  power  or  blessing  can  not  flow  from 
them.  It  is  the  Spirit's  office  to  take  of  the  things  that  are  Christ's 
and  show  them  unto  us;  but  if  there  be  nothing  of  His  in  it,  what 
has  the  spirit  to  do?  We  have  no  promise  of  blessing  on  that  which 
stands  only  in  the  wisdom  of  man,  apart  from  the  wisdom  of  God, 
for  man's  wisdom  is  foolishness  in  His  sight.  As  it  is  wn-itten,  "  He 
that  hath  a  dream,  let  him  tell  his  dream,  but  he  chat  hath  my  word, 
let  him  speak  it  faithfully;  for  what  is  the  chaff  to  the  wheat,  saith 
the  Lord."  If  we  want  power  we  must  not  sing  dreams,  but  the 
pure  wheat  of  the  gospel,  according  to  the  word  of  God! 

Second,  if  what  I  sing  is  true,  am  I  true  in  singing  it?  It  is 
not  enough  to  sing  the  truth,  but  we  must  stand  where  we  can 
make  it  the  sincere  language  of  our  own  hearts.  Not  long  since  I 
overheard  a  friend  of  mine  ask  a  man — a  church  member — the 
question,  "Are  you  saved?"  To  which  he  calmly  replied:  "It  is  a 
vefy  solemn  thing,  sir,  for  any  man  this  side  of  the  grave  to  say  he 
is  saved."  "Yes,"  said  my  friend,  "It  would  be  a  solemn  thing  for 
any  man  to  sav  he  had  a  thousand  dollars  in  his  jDocket  if  he  did  not 
have;  but  if  he  did  have  it  would  quite  alter  the  case."  And  yet 
from  childhood,  I  doubt  not,  this  canny  Scotchman  had  been  singing. 

"The  Lord's  my  shepherd,  I'll  not  want, 

He  makes  me  down  to  lie 
In  pastures  green,  he  leadeth  me 

The  quiet  waters  by. 


CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION,  1003 

"Goodness  and  mercy  all  n:iy  life 

Shall  surely  follow  me, 
And  God's  house  forevermore 

My  dwelling  place  sha)l  be." 

And  what  precious  truth  this  is,  and  with  what  power  and  bless- 
ing it  comes  to  the  trusting  child  of  God.  But  suppose  you  just 
ask  this  man  the  question-  "Is  it  true  that  the  Lord  is  your  shep- 
herd? Is  it  true  that  God's  house  is  to  be  your  dwelling-place  for- 
evermore?" I  think  I  hear  him  answer,  "It  is  a  solemn  thing,  sir,' 
for  any  man  this  side  the  grave  to  say  that."  And  so  it  is,  if  he  do 
not  say  it  truthfull^v,  and  though  he  may  sing  it  with  the  voice  of 
a  Brignoli,  a  Sims  Reeves,  a  Whitney,  aye,  or  angel  from  heaven, 
if  he  be  not  true  in  singing  it,  it  can  have  no  power  except  it  be  to 
condemn.  How,  then,  can  we  expect  blessing  to  flow  from  those 
who,  when  thus  singing,  are  changing  the  precious  truth  into  a  lie 
upon  their  lips? 

But  says  one,  what  shall  we  do?  Must  we  stop  singing?" 
In  the  first  place,  if  the  truth  condemns,  be  honest,  accept-  the 
situation  and  turn  to  God  by  an  earnest,  unconditional  surrender  to 
His  Son  as  your  Savior,  for  "There  is  no  condemnation  to  them  that 
are  in  Christ  Jesus."  And  then,  heing  on  the  side  of  truth,  when 
you  sing  it  will  not  only  bring  blessing  to  your  own  soul,  but  to 
those  who  hear.  I  remember  an  instance  of  a  lady  in  Dundee, 
Scotland,  that  will  illustrate.     We  were  all  singing  the  hymn: 

"I've  found  a  friend,  O,  such  a  friend, 

He  loved  me  ere  I  knew  Him. 
He  drew  me  with  the  cords  of  love, 

And  thus  he  bound  me  to  Him. 
And  round  my  heart  still  tlosely  twine 

Those  ties,  which  naught  can  sever. 
For  I  am  His  and  He  is  mine, 

Forever  and  forever." 

And  as  she  sung  along,  the  thought  stole  over  ner  that  she  was 
dishonest  in  singing  such  utterances;  that  although  she  knew  about 
Jesus  she  never  had  accepted  Him  as  her  Savior  and  friend,  and  that 
the  language  of  her  own  lips  condemned  her,  and  right  there  she 
accepted  the  situation  that  she  was  condemned  and  that  Jesus  was 
the  only  friend  that  could  help  her,  and  before  leaving  the  room  that 
night  she  did  surrender  to  him  and  became  one  of  the  most  success- 
ful and  earnest  workers  in  the  inquiry  meetings.  Then  she  could 
sing  "I've  found  a  friend,"  and  be  true  in  singing  it.  And  so,  fel- 
low-singer, I  would  say  to  thee,  don't  stop  singing,  but  "Go  thou 
and  do  likewise;"  surrender  to  Christ;  accept  Him  as  your  Savior 
and  Redeemer  and  then  on  redemption  ground  you  can  sing  with 
the  Psalmist,  and  be  true  in  singing: 


1004  CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION. 

"He  took  me  from  a  fearful  pit 

And  from  the  miry  clay. 
And  on  a  rock  he  set  my  feet, 

Establishing  my  way. 

"He  put  a  new  song  in  my  mouth, 
Our  God  to  magnify." 

I  know  of  nothing  so  well  calculated  to  promote  the  worship  of 
God  as  to  get  this  new  song  in  the  heart: 

"He  put  a  new  song  in  my  mouth, 
Our  God  to  magnify." 

And  the  result  will  be  that 

"Many  shall  see  it  and  shall  fear, 
And  on  the  Lord  rely." 

To  have  the  new  song  in  the  heart  is  to  be  a  new  creature  in 
Christ  Jesus.  Then  old  things  pass  away.  All  things  become 
new.  A  lady  once  read  a  book  recommended  by  a  friend,  but  was 
somewhat  disappointed  in  finding  it  less  interesting  than  she  antici- 
pated; but  later  she  made  the  acquaintance  of  its  author.  She 
admired  him.  She  grew  to  love  him,  and  he  won  her  heart.  On 
returning  to  the  book  again  she  was  amazed  at  her  former  stupidity 
in  failing  to  discover  the  beauty  and  charm  that  now  seemed  to 
glitter  upon  every  page.  It  was  a  new  book  to  her.  It  was  writ- 
ten by  the  one  who  had  won  her  heart.  So,  the  simple  gospel  song 
that  was  once  so  uninteresting,  so  meager,  and  almost  empty, 
becomes  a  new  thing,  full  of  sweetness  and  charm  when  we  wake 
up  to  the  discovery  that  it  tells  the  story  of  His  love,  who  laid  down 
His  life  that  He  might  win  us  to  Himself;  that  He  might  make  us 
His  bride.  I  never  listen  to  the  grand  oratorios  of  the  old  masters 
but  I  am  seized  with  a  desire  to  wield  such  harmonies  for  the  glory 
of  my  Master,  for  the  "new  song"  in  the  heart  is  so  grandly 
sublime,  and  my  poor  pen  so  feeble  and  inadequate.  And  then  I 
think,  perhaps  if  I  could  do  so,  it  would  defeat  the  very  object  of 
my  desire  and  only  lead  the  hearer  to  exclaim,  "Oh,  what  music!" 
instead  of,  "Oh,  what  a  Savior!" 

We  are  told  of  a  great  painter  who  once  undertook  to  represent 
the  scene  of  Jesus  with  His  disciples  as  they  were  assembled  around 
the  supper-table  for  the  last  time.  He  had  summoned  all  his  powers 
as  an  artist  to  depict  the  heavenly  visage  of  the  divine  and  central 
One.  The  work  was  completed;  a  group  of  admiring  friends  w-ere 
gazing  on  the  picture.  One  of  them  called  attention  to  the  exquisite 
beauty  of  the  cups  and  vessels  on  the  table,  when  to  their  astonish- 
ment "the  artist  with  one  sweep  of  his  brush  blotted  them  out  of  the 
picture.     The  form  of  the  Savior  was  to  be  the  focal  point — the 


CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION.  1005 

central  figure,  and  anything  that  would  interfere  with  that  idea  was 
out  of  proportion,  and  a  blemish  so  serious  that  it  could  not  be 
tolerated ;  and  so  it  is  with  the  "  new  song,"  Jesus  is  the  focal 
point,  the  central  figure,  and  the  music  that  recognizes  this  and  keeps 
Him  there,  is  the  music  that  will  best  promote  the  worship  of  God 
and  the  spread  of  the  gospel.  And  the  music  that  does  not  put  the 
truth  in  the  foreground,  but  by  its  beauty,  its  excellence,  its  grandeur 
or  its  anything  else,  takes  the  central  place  for  itself,  if  we  are  true 
to  our  Master  as  the  painter  was  to  his  art,  in  the  name  of  the 
Master  what  shall  we  do  with  it? 

When  Mr.  McGranahan  had  finished  his  paper,  which  was  well 
received  by  the  audience,  Mr.  Moody  remarked  that  the  Question 
Drawer  had  been  omitted  from  the  programme  that  the  subject  of 
church  music  might  be  the  better  ventilated.  Having  requested  the 
singing  of  two  hymns,  one,  "Jesus  Shall  Reign,"  to  the  grand  music 
of  "The  Watch  on  the  Rhine,"  and  the  other,  "Am  I  a  Soldier  of 
the    Cross?" 

Mr.  Moody  himself  had  something  to  say  on  the  important  topic 
still  presented  to  the  brethren  for  further  discussion.  He  said  that 
he  knew  it  was  a  delicate  subject,  but  that  he  thought  the  time  had 
come  to  speak  out.  He  wondered  that  a  man,  such  as  Mr.  Morton 
on  the  previous  day  had  mentioned,  could  know  any  fear  and  tremb- 
ling before  getting  up  to  address  an  audience.  For  his  own  part 
Mr.  Moody  never  had  a  feeling  of  this  kind  for  such  a  reason,  but 
when  it  came  to  hearing  back  of  him  one  of  those  high-toned  choirs 
singing  an  unknown  tune,  then  came  a  time  when  he  was  really 
embarrassed.  He  had  once  occupied  a  pulpit  when  he  gave  out  a 
hymn  that  he  felt  sure  they  couldn't  set  a  strange  tune  to;  they  surely 
wouldn't  find  something  new  for  "Jesus,  Lover  of  My  Soul,"  but 
they  did. 

In  Boston  not  long  since  Mr.  Moody  was  attending  one  of  its 
most  prominent  churches,  only  to  be  distressed  throughout  the  entire 
service  by  seeing  the  organist,  when  he  desisted  from  his  perform- 
ance, take  up  a  Sunday  newspaper,  and  read  to  within  five  minutes 
of  the  close  of  the  sermon.  By  such  conduct  and  spirit  a  minister 
was  fettered  in  his  work.  Wasn't  it  time  to  speak  out,  exclaimed 
Mr.  Moody.  There  might  be  one  in  every  twenty-five  or  fifty 
who  wanted  the  music  that  he  abominated,  but  the  congregations, 
as  a  whole,  wanted  something  they  could  understand,  and  their  num- 
bers were  diminishing  because  they  couldn't  get  it.  If  anybody 
advocated  the  use  of  that  kind  of  a  choir  that  embarrassed  him  let 
him  speak  out.  Some  one  on  the  platform  suggesting  that  perhaps 
there  might  be  more  profit  in  reading  a  newspaper  than  in  listening 
to  some  preachers,  Mr.  Moody  warmly  retorted  that  he  didn't  think 
a  Christian  man  ought  to  read   .Sunday   newspapers.     An   old   man 


1006  CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION. 

in  the  audience  spoke  up  and  asked  if  one  coukln't  ride  in  the  horse- 
cais  on  Sunday.  '"No,"  tersely  rejoined  Mr.  Moody:  "you  don't 
want  to  take  their  Sunday  away  from  somebody  else." 

Mr.  Moody  also  seemed  to  hold  strong  views  on  the  propriety  of 
Sunday  railroad  travelling. 

Shortly  he  called  upon  Major  Whittle,  for  the  soul  of  both  of 
them  was  in  this  subject,  and  the  latter  advanced  and  said  that  he 
would  as  soon  have  an  unconverted  preacher  to  preach  as  an  uncon- 
ycrted  singer  to  sing.  He  held  that  it  must  be  abominable  in  the 
sij!-ht  of  God.  He  strengthened  his  assertion  by  affirming  that 
whenever  there  came  a  reyiyal  in  the  church  the  singing  was  always 
on  the  part  of  the  people  and  God  blessed  the  work.  What  power, 
he  reminded  his  hearers,  had  there  been  in  Mr.  Bliss,  with  whom 
he  went  forth  to  preach  Christ,  when  he  sat  do\yn  by  the  organ  and 
sang  God's  truth  Major  Whittle  had  sat  in  Spurgeon's  yast  taber- 
nacle, where  5,000  people  united  in  praising  God,  and  there  he  had 
felt  himself  nearer  Heaven  than  in  any  other  place  on  earth. 

But  the  day  was  drawing  to  its  close.  vSo  Mi.  Moody,  doubt- 
less with  his  soul  refreshed  by  the  timely  woi-ds  of  his  clerical  lieu- 
tenants, asked  the  singing  by  Mr.  Sankey  of  the  dear  old  "Ninety 
and  Nine." 

Mr.  Sankey  complied.  But  first,  as  is  much  his  wont,  he  spoke 
a  few  words  of  earnest  prayer  that  help  might  be  his  when  soon  he 
should  sing  the  song  across  the  waters,  in  the  land  where  it  was 
written.  Then  asking  that  there  might  be  loyalty  in  the  hearts  of 
all  who  sang  in  the  service  of  Christ,  this  big,  tender  man  of  sim- 
ple song,  probably  for  the  last  time  in  Chicago  for  many  a  day, 
sang,  amid  the  silence  that  moves  by  its  silence,  the  verses  of  the 
touching  gospel  hymn, 

'There  were  ninety  and  nine  that  safely  lay 
In  the  shelter  of  the  fold." 

Rev.  Dr.  Henson,  of  the  First  Baptist  Church,  rose,  after  the 
singing,  and  said: 

I  do  not  believe  in  a  pulpit  performance  and  I  do  not  believe  in 
a  choir  performance  in  a  church.  There  are  plenty  of  places  to 
perform  in  without  going  into  the  house  of  God.  A  church  is  not 
for  performances,  but  for  work;  and  I  believe  that  the  minister  is 
responsible  for  the  character  of  these  services  of  song,  and  not  the 
choir.  I  believe  if  a  minister  cannot  control  the  character  of  the 
singing  in  his  church,  and  keep  it  in  Christian  hands  and  in  Chris- 
tian ways,  he  is  not  fit  for  a  minister,  and  had  better  abdicate. 
[Laughter  and  applause.]  I  belieye  ministers  are  consecrated  for 
the  regulation  of  the  services  of  God's  house,  and  that  the  singing 
is  a  part  of  that  service.  I  remember  going  once  to  New  York,  to 
preach  for  a  church  that  had  no  pastor.     Before  I  went   the  leader 


CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION.  1007 

of  the  music  in  the  church  sent  me  a  note  saying  that  I  need  not 
bother  myself  about  ihe  selection  of  music  for  the  service  I  was  to 
conduct.  I  sent  him  word  that  if  he  would  come  down  to  see  me 
I  would  adapt  my  sermon  to  his  music.  And  he  came  down — in 
more  senses  than  one.  [Laughter.]  I  have  heard  here  soloists 
that  lifted  me  up  to  the  very  throne  of  God.  I  have  heard  a  quar- 
tet that  made  my  soul  respond  to  the  soul  of  the  music*  I  believe 
in  such  music  as  that.      [Applause.] 

Dr.  Herrick  Johnson  then  rose  and  said: 

And  yet  there  is  a  word  to  be  said  about  that.  I  know  a 
preacher  who  did  not  know  the  difference  between  an  opera  tune  and 
"Old  Hundred."  [Laughter.]  No  doubt  this  charge  of  the  sing- 
ing in  a  church  ought  to  be  in  somebody's  hands  who  has  intelli- 
gence in  the  matter,  and  who  will  see  that  it  shall  be  made  such  a 
part  of  the  worship  as  it  ought  to  be  in  a  Christian  church;  just  as 
much  a  part  of  the  service  as  the  prayer — and  a  song  is  a  prayer 
when  properly  voiced,  as  it  is  in  many  of  our  homes.  I  believe  in  a 
c[uartet  choir,  and  in  a  trained  choir,  and  I  believe  in  time  we  shall 
have  them  all  over  the  country  as  we  have  them  here  in  Chicago.  I 
hope  we  shall  always  have  true  church  singing — singing  from  the 
heart;  music  that  makes  melody  in  our  hearts  and  souls.  Now,  in 
reference  to  what  we  shall  sing!  We  want  hymn-books  that  may 
be  used  by  all.  Songs  should  be  sensible,  and  they  should  not  be 
unscriptuial.  I  have  seen  songs  in  song  books  that  were  neither 
sensible  nor  Scriptural — songs  that  express  a  state  of  quiescence 
simply,  with  no  activity,  no  high  service  for  God,  and  we  ought  not 
to  be  set  to  singing  those. 

The  exercises  of  the  afternoon  were  concluded  by  Dr.  Kennard, 
who  pronounced  the  benediction. 

EVENING  SESSION. 

It  is  no  use  piling  up  adjectives  in  reference  to  the  crowd  that 
tried  to  get  into  Farwell  Hall  this  last  night  to  get  a  last  glimpse  of 
Mr.  Moody  and  hear  the  last  words  that  that  great  leader  of  the 
people  should  utter  before  he  should  leave  Chicago.  It  will  give 
one  some  idea  of  the  jam  that  took  place  to  say  that  many  people 
did  not  leave  the  hall,  and  at  6  o'clock  there  were  i,ooo  people  on 
the  sidewalk  waiting  patiently  until  the  policemen  at  the  door 
should  say  they  might  pass  into  the  hall.  No  sooner  were  the  doors 
opened  than  the  hall  was  filled  in  every  part,  and  the  people  packed 
in  a  manner  that  would  have  disgusted  sardines.  Even  the  stair- 
ways were  crowded,  although  there  was  no  more  hope  of  hearing 
a  word  said  in  the  hall  above  than  there  was  getting  into  that  hall. 
The  speakers  who  came  late  had  to  be  lifted  over  the  crowd  that 
choked  up  the  entrance.     As   for  the   members  of  the   press  who 


1008  CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION. 

found  themselves  detailed  to  report  the  meeting,  after  their  experi- 
ence in  passing  through  that  crowd  no  one  would  wonder  that  they 
could  pass  through  key-holes  after  secrets.  It  would  in  theory  be 
easier  to  pass  through'the  eye  of  a  needle  than  gain  admission  to  the 
hall  through  the  crowd  last  night. 

As  the  people  were  there  and  must  remain  it  was  concluded  to 
open  the  meeting  nearly  an  hour  earlier  than  announced,  and_  at 
7:10  o'clock  Mr.  Moody  appeared  and  announced  a  hymn,  which 
was  sung  with  enthusiasm.  Mr.  Morehead  made  the  opening 
prayer,  and  Dr.  Goodwin  followed  him  in  a  stining  speech,  urging 
that  the  people  consecrate  themselves  to  the  work.  He  spoke  of 
his  recent  sojourn  in  California,  and  the  work  he  had  undertaken 
since  his  return.  He  believed  that  every  man  should  present  him- 
self for  such  work  as  the  Lord  would  have  him  to  do. 

Mr.  William  Reynolds,  of  Peoria,  followed  Dr.  Good- 
win, and  after  a  prayer  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Williams,  Professor  More- 
head  and  Mr.  Lattimer  made  short  speeches. 

Dr.  Hatfield  took  the  stand  to  perpetuate  the  spirit  of  the  eve- 
ning. He  said  that  the  three  days  past  had  been  days  of  special 
interest,  red-letter  days  in  the  lives  of  the  many  present.  It  all 
reminded  him  of  a  scene  described  in  the  holy  book,  the  scene  of 
the  transfiguration,  when  Peter  said,  "Let  us  make  three  taberna- 
cles." He  would  have  all  stay  there  permanently.  So,  continued 
the  speaker,  would  the  people  who  had  attended  the  expiring  con- 
vention look  back  and  wish  that  they  might  continue  to  dwell 
together.  Yet  it  might  be  that  all  had  lingered  long  enough  in  the 
place  of  transfiguration,  so  let  the  people  go  forth  into  the  field  and 
take  up  the  work. 

The  speaker  kindly  and  wisely  bade  no  one  be  unhappy  that  he 
or  she  could  not  do  just  what,  or  in  the  very  way,  that  some  one  else 
did,  something  for  the  cause.  For  each  there  was  a  mission.  The 
great  thing  was  to  be  found  honest  and  faithful  in  work.  For 
fidelity  of  service  were  the  rewards  at  the  last  day  meted  out.  Some 
one  had  said  (Johnson,  thought  the  speaker),  that  if  two  of  the 
chiefest  angels  in  all  heaven  were  to  descend  to  earth,  one  to  be^  a 
prime  minister  of  a  State  and  the  other  to  sweep  the  streets  of  its 
capital,  with  them  there  would  be  known  no  difference  in  vocation, 
whether  this  was  the  oflice  of  minister  and  the  other  that  of 
scavenger. 

To  these  servants  of  God  there  was  no  precedence.  The  sweep- 
ing of  a  room  might,  in  the  very  nature  of  the  action,  be  made 
divine.  To  glorify  God  as  did  the  great  sun  was  a  grand  thing,  but 
it  was  no  mean  thing  to  be  as  the  little  star  that  shone  in  the  firma- 
ment above.  The  mighty  ocean  was  grand,  but  the  little  brook  had 
its  place  as  well.     There  were  no  small  things  in  God's  cause. 


CHRISTIAN    COSyESTlOS.  1009 

The  speaker  bade  his  hearers  when  they  departed  to  their 
homes  to  go  with  stout,  brave,  Christian  hearts.  Much  had  Dr. 
Hatfield  and  all  heard  about  testimony,  but  the  former  had  in  his 
mind  an  instance  of  testimony  that  was  the  most  affecting  he  had 
ever  heard.  And  this  testimony  was  the  testimony  of  a  poor  deaf 
and  dumb  girl  who,  at  a  camp  meeting,  in  the  sight  of  all,  testi^ticd 
mutelv,  with  her  simple  gestures,  that  her  heart  was  God's.  Very 
much'like  a  camp  meeting,  resumed  the  speaker,  was  the  convention, 
though,  he  jocosely  added  to  the  amusement  of  many,  all  the  breth- 
ren could  not  appreciate  the  fact.  Dr.  Hatfield  continued  in  saying 
that  he  had  noticed  that  at  times  of  revival,  men  who  had  been 
impressed  and  yet  turned  away,  were  in  a  worse  condition  than 
before;  and  this  seemed  to  be  in  recognition  of  a  mental  law  that 
truth  not  acted  upon  became  a  curse.  If  good  resolutions  were  to 
be  their  own  end,  then  those  who  had  come  and  made  them  had 
been  better  off  to  have  remained  away. 

He  charged  his  hearers  to  see  that  their  resolutions  were  followed 
up,  that  thev  might  not  be  like  men  looking  into  a  glass  and  then 
going  away  to  forget  what  manner  of  men  they  were.  Revealing 
in  himself  the  liberal,  undenominational  spirit  that  seemed  to  pervade 
the  wdnole  convention.  Dr.  Hatfield  declared  that  if  he  and  his  associ- 
ated brethren  proved  themselves  bigoted  and  narrow-spirited  after 
all  that  had  passed,  they  would  all  desire  to  be  tumbled  neck  and 
heels  out  of  the  fraternity.  Pleasantly  confessing  that  the  barriers 
seemed  so  thoroughly  burned  away  that  he  couldn't  distinguish  the 
Methodist  brethren  from  the  others,  this  man  of  God,  of  hard  sense 
and  hardihood,  w4th  all  his  heart,  quoted  Bunyan,  who  puts  into  the 
mouth  of  some  one  in  his  Christian  narrative  the  remark  that  Mr, 
Prejudice  had  fallen  and  broken  his  leg,  but  that  it  would  have  been 
better  if  he  had  broken  his  neck. 

Mr.  Moody  then  called  on  Mr.  J.  S.  Smithson. 
Mr.  Smithson  began  his  talk  by  a  reference  to  Christ's  meeting 
with  the  fishermen,  and  like  their  work  ours  was  to  be  fishers.  In 
the  first  place  w^e  must  clean  nets,  and  it  w^as  not  necessary  for  us 
to  be  great  speakers  to  become  great  workers  in  the  Lord's  cause. 
A  French  surgeon  being  once  asked  how  many  operations  of  a 
difficult  and  peculiar  kind  he  had  performed,  replied  300,  but  wdiile 
they  were  very  brilliant,  not  one  had  been  successful.  An  English 
surgeon  who  had  questioned  him,  said  that  he  had  had  eight  opera- 
tions of  the  same  kind,  and  all  but  one  had  been  successful.  With 
the  Christian  worker  it  should  be  as  it  had  been  with  the  English 
surgeon,  and  while  we  might  not  be  brilliant,  we  might  be  success- 
ful in  what  we  undertook.  It  was  not  brilliant  operations  and  big 
heads,  but  with  right  hearts  that  we  should  work.  What  we  want- 
ed was  downright   hard  work.     Some   said,  it  was   not  their  sphere 


1010  CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION. 

to  work  this  or  that  way.  To  those  he  said,  do  not  be  waiting  for 
a  sphere.  You  must  work  where  God  found  you.  Some  said  they 
could  not  see  any  success  in  the  work  ahead.  That  was  not  the 
way  to  look  at  it,  but  go  to  work.  The  business  man  did  not  go 
around  and  show  his  balance  sheet  and  tell  his  clerks  how  much  he 
had  lost  or  gained.  Do  your  part,  and  you  inay  be  doing  a  part 
that  may  contribute  to  the  great  victory,  as  much  as  the  clerks  con- 
tributed to  the  general  result  of  tlieir  employer's  business. 

The  fishermen  of  the  Scripture  did  not  quarrel  about  who  was 
to  catch  the  biggest  fish.  They  just  filled  the  boats.  That  was 
what  must  be  done  in  the  churches.  Many  had  heard  the  story  of 
the  ragged  boy  with  his  crooked  pin  catching. fish  right  under  the 
nose  of  the  gentlemen  with  fancy  rods.  It  was  not  brilliant  equip- 
ment that  afways  caught  the  fish.  Launch  out.  He  rembered  that 
in  Dublin  they  started  out  to  work.  Some  fear  was  felt  that  it 
would  be  dangerous  and  that  perhaps  there  would  be  trouble.  The 
work  w^as  started,  and  a  round  of  the  lodging  houses  made,  and 
invitations  given  to  the  lodgers  to  come  to  a  breakfast.  They 
elbowed  each  other,  and  smiled.  They  came,  and  in  time  those 
meetings  were  soon  attended  by  i,ooo  Catholics  and  500  others. 
Start  out,  and  go  to  work.  All  remembered  the  story  of  the  great 
artist  who  asked  for  the  piece  of  rough  marble,  and  how  out  of  it 
he  carved  the  most  beautiful  figure  of  an  angel.  Right  here  in 
Chicago  there  were  plenty  of  pieces  of  rough  marble,  out  of  which 
might  be  carved  angels.  If  you  thought  you  were  nothing,  do  not 
letthat  hinder  you,  but  remember  that  in  your  work  is  Christ.  All 
know  that  some  had  the  trick  of  picking  fish  from  others. 

There  was  in  England  a  class  who  steal  in  this  w^ay,  and  are 
known  as  poachers.  There  were  some  ecclesiastical  poachers.  That 
was  a  very  mean  trade.  Work  earnestly  in  the  best  way  you  know. 
No  man  ever  lost  anything  by  his  religion.  He  never  knew  a  busi- 
ness man  who  yet  lost  anything  by  attending  to  the  Lord's  work. 
There  was  many  a  fort  'to  take,  and  like  the  volunteers  in  the 
Crimean  war  who  marched  forward  to  take  a  certain  fort,  we  must 
march  out  right  in  our  own  city  and  assail  the  enemy.  We  could 
fell  the  giants  of  iniquity,  though  we  were  but  striplings,  if  we  had 
but  faith  to  trust  in  God. 

MR.   Moody's  closing  address. 

Mr.  Moodv  said  that  in  '76,  when  the  meetings  were  held  m  this 
city,  one  of  the  ministers  made  a  remark  that  had  remained  with 
him  ever  since.  They  were  speaking  about  the  text.  "I  will  pour 
out  waters  upon  those  who  are  thirsty,"  and  Dr.  Gibson  said  he 
would  like  to  find  the  thirsty  in  his  congregation  that  he  might  pour 


CHRISTIAX    CONXENTIOX.  1011 

out  upon  them  the  water.  He  had  thouf^ht  a  good  way  to  find  the 
thirsty  would  be  to  carry  a  bucket  of  water  down  the  aisle,  and 
those' that  were  thirsty  would  drink.  If  the  buckets  were  empty 
we  could  not  tell  who  were  thirsty.  He  had  thought  that  himself 
and  other  ministers  were  carrying  empty  buckets.  Was  it  not  true 
that  they  were  \yorking  without  haying  been  anointed,  without  the 
power  for  seryice.''  The  influence  of  this  conyention  would  be  lost 
within  thirty  days  unless  they  could  get  power  from  on  high.  A 
colony  had  gone  to  Africa,  and  when  they  would  haye  settled  in 
one  place  the  natiyes  told  them  there  was  one  season  when  it  neyer 
rained  there,  and  they  moyed  on.  In  another  place  they  were  dis- 
couraged in  the  same  manner.  But  at  the  third  place,  the  natiyes 
said  the  clouds  were  pierced,  and  they  settled  there.  These  Chris- 
tian workers  should  go  under  the  pierced  clouds  and  then  their 
buckets  would  always  be  filled.  The'y  could  then  giye  of  the 
waters  to  those  who  were  thirsty  and  the  buckets  neyer  be  empty. 
It  was  so  easy  to  work  when  we  were  always  filled. 

A  friend  of  his  Hying  oyer  in  Michigan,  near  the  lake,  had  pipes 
laid  from  the  lake  to  his  house  so  that  he  could  draw  off  the  water 
by  simply  turning  a  faucet. 

He  said  it  was  better  than  haying  Lake  Michigan,  for  if  he  had 
the  whole  lake  he  would  not  know  what  to  do  with  it.  With  the 
connecting  pipe  he  could  draw  off  just  as  much  of  the  lake  as  he 
wanted  and  always  have  a  plenty.  It  ^vas  easy  to  go  to  a  throne  of 
grace  and  be  always  filled.  Mr.  Moody  said  he  had  been 
approached  during  the  afternoon  by  a  man  who  said  he  had 
receiyed  a  blessing  at  the  meetings  held  here  seven  years  ago  that 
lasted  him  ever  since.  And  the  speaker  belieyed  that  such  blessings 
should  go  out  from  this  meeting.  In  Birmingham  one  kind-hearted 
gentleman  had  established  morning  schools  for  the  workingmen. 
When  Mr.  Moody  was  in  the  place  he  thought  he  would  look  into 
it.  He  found  that  several  years  ago  this  gentleman  thought  he 
might  do  something  for  the  workmen  of  the  place,  and  he  tried  to 
establish  a  school  for  Sunday  mornings.  He  got  up  at  7  o'clock 
and  went  about  carrying  out  his  plans,  but  it  was  discouraging,  for 
7  o'clock  was  before  daylight  in  the  winter  mornings,  and  on  Sun- 
days the  workmen  could  not  be  got  up  until  about  10  o'clock.  But 
he  was  not  discouraged,  and  kept  at  his  work,  until  now  in  Bir- 
mingham on  Sunday  morning  one  could  hear  the  tramp  of  these 
workmen  as  they  went  to  their  school.  There  were  S,ooo  men 
gathered  into  this  morning  school  and  the  Christian  teachers  were 
there  from  all  over  the  city  to  instruct  them.  It  was  a  grand  sight 
to  see  this  school,  and  when  Mr.  Moody  visited  it  he  found  the 
Mayor  of  the  city  there  at  that  early  hour  teaching  a  class  of  men. 

And  the  influence  had  not  stopped  there      A  lady  had  been  con- 


1012  CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION. 

verted  and  her  whole  familj-.  There  was  one  member  of  this 
family,  a  gentleman  of  influence  at  court,  a  man  of  wealth,  and  in 
looking  about  for  something  to  do  for  the  Lord,,  he  thought  of  the 
bovs.  He  went  down  to  the  "Seven  Dials,"  one  of  the  very  worst 
places  in  London,  and  he  gathered  the  boys  up  that  he  could  per- 
suade to  go  with  him.  He  gave  them  their  supper,  kept  them  at 
night,  and  gave  them  their  breakfast.  He  then  promised  to  give 
every  one  that  remained  with  him  a  new  suit  of  clothes  and  find 
him  a  place.  The  boys  remained,  and  night  after  night  he  went 
down  to  that  vile  part  of  the  city  at  2  o'clock  at  night,  or  later 
and  each  time  gathered  up  several  of  these  boys.  This  was  not 
only  for  one  night,  but  for  every  night,  and  he  kept  it  up  for  years. 
And  now,  as  the  result  of  this  work,  he  had  a  great  training  school 
with  3,500  boys  and  youijg  men,  ranging  from  17  1025  years  of 
age,  who  were  learning  the  trades.  It  did  not  mean  much  being 
free  in  this  country,  but  in  Europe  it  did  mean  a  good  deal. 

Mr.  Moody  hoped  the  spirit  of  the  Most  High  would  fall  upon 
this  convention  and  that  it  would  bear  good  fruit.  He  hoped  that 
many  would  go  into  the  vineyard  and  ask  God  to  teach  them  what 
was  their  work.  He  had  never  advised  any  man  to  go  into  the 
ministry. 

It  was  too  high  a  calling.  He  had  ncA'cr  advised  any  man  to  go 
into  the  foreign  field,  because  it  was  too  solemn.  If  God  sent  men 
into  this  work  they  would  be  successful.  If  men  sent  them  they 
would  break  down.  But  he  believed  there  would  be  fruit.  He 
neyer  had  seen  a  man  who  expected  good  results  but  \vhat  he 
worked  so  that  he  secured  them.  A  man  who  had  hope  and  faith 
would  succeed.  The  people  in  this  convention  all  seem  to  have 
faith.  But  they  must  sink  public  opinion.  They  should  not  look 
into  the  papers  to  see  what  was  said  about  them.  They  should  not 
care  what  the  people  said.  There  was  no  need  to  make  any  noise 
so  as  to  attract  attention.  It  was  not  always  the  noisy  things  that 
proved  successful.  There  was  near  his  house  in  the  spring,  a 
little  brook  that  went  bubbling  along  over  its  pebbly  surface 
making  a  noise  all  the  time,  and  always  making  itself  known,  but 
when  the  heat  of  the  summer  came  the  waters  of  that  brook  had 
dried  up,  and  there  was  nothing  left  of  it.  Then,  not  far  away  was 
a  great,  silent  river.  He  had  never  heard  that  river;  did  not  know 
it  was  there,  because  it  did  not  make  any  noise;  but  when  he  found 
it  moving  along  in  its  silence,  and  followed  down  its  course,  he 
found  along  its  banks  mills  and  manufactories  that  were  given 
power  by  these  waters.  We  need  not  blow  a  trumpet  in  our  work. 
On  a  deadwall  in  Paris  there  was  an  inscription  which  he  liked. 

It  read:  "They  say.      What  do   they   say?      Let  them  say." 
That  was  a  srood  motto  for  Christian  workers.     They   had  a  work 


CHRISTIAN    CON\-ENTION.  1013 

to  do,  and  should  go  about  it,  not  caring  what  was  said.  Should 
thev  go  forth  from  this  convention  to  work,  or  should  they  let  its 
influence  be  lost?  It  was  said  of  Demosthenes  that  when  bespoke 
the  people  wanted  to  go  at  once  to  fight  with  Philij^,  but  when 
Cicero  spoke  they  went  away,  saying  it  was  grand.  One  inspired 
men  to  clo,  the  other  merely  made  himself  admired.  Which  should 
this  convention  be  like?  They  had  had  good  speeches.  Never  had 
he  heard  better.  Never  had  he  seen  so  much  unanimity  Never 
had  he  seen  Chicago  pulpits  so  well  manned  as  at  the  present.  They 
were  grand  men,  and  were  united  so  that  as  Dr.  Hatfield  had  said, 
one  could  not  tell  Methodists  from  Baptists  or  Presbyterians,  or 
Congregationalists.  There  was  a  spirit  of  unity  and  he  thanked 
God  that  these  denominational  walls  had  begun  to  crumble. 
[Applause.]  "Never  mind  that  now.  That  is  not  what  we  want. 
We  want  work  Let  us  go  about  it.  Do  all  the  good  you  can  and 
work  as  long  as  you  can." 

When  he  had  closed,  Mr.  Moody  stepped  back  into  the  crowd 
on  the  platform  and  left  the  hall  at  once,  taking  the  evening  train  for 
his  home  in  the  East. 

A  hymn  was  then  simg. 

Bishop  Chenev  followed,  and  reminded  the  audience  that  they 
had  not  attended  the  great  convention  for  the  pleasurable  excite- 
ment it  had  afforded.  If  they  were  to  turn  away  from  it  and  say  it 
had  been  delightful,  and  enjoyment  was  the  highest  thought  in  their 
minds,  then  within  thirty  days  the  influence  set  in  motion  would  be 
completely  lost  Let  them  realize  that  the  work  of  the  convention 
was  but  to  set  them  at  work  Though  the  convention  was  ended, 
its  work  was  not  done. 

Dr.  Henson  came  next  with  a  brief,  earnest  talk  •'  What  shall 
we  do?"  was  the  question  asked.  The  answer  was  suggested  in 
the  quotation  '  Whatever  thy  hand  findeth  to  do  "  Take  what  was 
next  your  hand.  A  gift  of  $10,000  from  a  rich  man  might  receive 
the  applause  of  the  world,  but  the  music  of*  the  widow's  mite  rose 
to  heaven.  It  was  a  grand  thing  to  be  a  general,  and  see  the  battle 
and  hear  the  shouts  of  victory,  but  the  life  of  the  private  in  the 
ranks  was  more  heroic.  Let  us  be  willing  to  do  our  little  in  our 
little  sphere,  and  let  us  go  down  from  the  high  mountain,  from  this 
convention  into  the  valley  to  work.  Let  us  promise  to  right  about 
face  and  work.  If  we  could  not  move  great  multitudes  let  us  put 
our  hand  on  the  shoulder  of  some  brother  and  wish  that  he  may  be- 
come a  Christian. 

Major  D.  W.  Whittle  then  exhorted  the  audience,  whether 
they  were  Baptists,  Episcopalians,  Methodists,  or  Presbyterians, 
to  work  together  to  attain  the  gi-eat  object  of  bringing  souls  to  Jesus. 
They  should  not   wait  until  January  to  hold   their   revivals;  they 


]014  CHRISTIAN    CONVENTION. 

should  engage  in  the  work  of  saving  sinners  without  delay.  A 
questionable  pride  kept  many  away  from  God.  Many  of  them 
would  find  by  bitter  experience  that  they  had  sinful  hearts  and  were 
in  need  of  God's  mercy.  If  they  worked  for  God  and  persevered, 
their  end  would  be  glorious.  Christ  had  given  His  life  to  save  them 
and  they  should  trust  in  His  ways  of  redemption. 

At  his  request  a  large  number  arose  and  expressed  their  willing- 
ness to  obey  God's  law.  Many  also  asked  for  the  prayers  of  the 
assemblage. 

The  services  were  brought  to  a  close  by  the  singing  of  the 
"Sweet  By-and-by." 

THERE'S  a  land  that  is  fairer  than  day, 
And  by  faith  we  can  see  it  afar; 
For  the  Father  waits  over  the  way, 
To  prepare  us  a  dwelling-place  there. 

2  We  shall  sing  on  that  beautiful  shore 

The  melodious  songs  of  the  blest. 
And  our  spirits  shall  sorrow  no  more, 
Not  a  sigh  for  the  blessings  of  rest. 

3  To  our  bountiful  Father  above 

We  will  offer  our  tribute  of  praise, 
For  the  glorious  gift  of  His  love, 

And  the  blessings  that  hallow  our  days. 

Cho. — In  the  sweet  by-and-by, 

We  shall  meet  on  that  beautiful  shore, 
In  the  sweet  by-and-by, 

We  shall  meet  on  that  beautiful  shore. 


THE  LIFE  AND  LABORS 


-OF- 


C.  H.  SFX7XICE01T, 

The  faithful  Preacher,  the  Devoted  Pastor,  the  noble  Philanthropist, 
the  beloved  College  President,  and  the  volumi- 
nous Writer  and  Author  : 

DnG  ElGoantly  llluatratGd  Quartn  VnlumE,  BSD  PaoGS. 

BY 

GEORGE  C.  HEEDHAM 

Evangelist^  Author    of  "  Recollections  of  Hoiry  Moorhouse^''   "  The    True    Tab- 
ernacle^'' etc.^  etc. 

9^HE  author  says  in  this  preface,  "  No  apology  is  needed  for  bringing  before  our  Ameri- 
^  can  public,  in  the  present  form,  the  life  and  labors  of  this  well-known,  beloved  and 
faithful  minister  of  Jesus  Christ.  Mr.  Spurgeon  has  universal  fame  without  seeking  it. — 
Free  from  selfishness  and  ambition,  and  without  aiming  at  popularity,  he  has  enshrined 
himself  in  the  hearts  of  thousands  and  commanded  the  homage  and  respect  of  millions. — 
His  name  and  labors  are  interwoven  with  the  religious  history  of  England  in  the  present 
century;  and  any  one  who  would  acquaint  themselves  with  the  great  ohilanthropists  of 
(the  age,  will  seek  acquaintance  with  this  esteemed  pastor." 

Mr.  Spurgeon  has  preached  for  twenty-eight  years  to  a  congregation  of  more  than  SIX 
THOUSAND  persons,  and  has  now  a  church  whose  membership  numbers  over  five  thou- 
sand. During  this  long  pastorate  he  has  extended  the  right  hand  of  fellowship  to  nearly 
TEN  THOUSAND  persons.  For  twenty-seven  years  his  sermons  have  been  published 
weekly  in  all  parts  of  the  world,  and  translated  into  many  foreign  languages.  He  has 
founded  and  presides  over  a  COLLEGE  which  ia  unique  in  itself,  preparing  one  hundred 
students  for  the  ministry  of  the  Word;  is  the  originator  and  director  of  an  ORPHANAGE, 
giving  a  home  to  FIVE  HUNDRED  needy  children.  On  the  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of 
his  marriage,  he  gave  the  testimonial,  then  given  him,  of  over  thirty  thousand  dollars,  to 
provide  an  ASYLUM  for  a  score  of  poor  widows. 

As  a  writer,  he  is  the  author  of  over  forty  diff"erent  volumes,  including  Sermons,  Com- 
mentaries, Lectures  and  Esscjs — the  sale  of  one  book  alone, — "  John  Ploughman's  Talk," 
having  reached  a  sale  of  over  three  hundred  thousand  copies  in  England.  He  is  also  edi- 
tor of  a  monthly  magazine — "The  Sword  and  the  Trowel;"  besides,  he  has  started  and 
still  watches  over  many  other  works  too  numerous  to  mention. 


Mr.  Spurseon's  Life  and  Example 


Will  be  an  incentive  to  Christian  workers,,  quickening  their  faith,  inflaming 
their  zeal,  and  encouraging  their  hearts  in  labor  for  the  Lord,  In  reading  his  thrill- 
ing words,  the  faint-he;irtecl  will  find  encouragement,  despondency  and  unbelief  will 
give  place  to  hopefuhiessand  faith.  All  weary  tollers  for  God,  missionaries,  pastors, 
evangelists,  students,  and  all  who  in  the  battle  have  had  more  than  ordinary  trials, 
will  thank  God  for  this  noble  example,  and  take  courage. 

This  is  a  timely  book, — the  bold,  clear,  faithful  teaching  of  this  great  preacher, 
will  in  some  measure  counteract  the  ill-balanced,  weakly,  and  sentimental  theories 
afloat,  as  well  as  deliver  from  unscriptural,  hurtful  and  skeptical  preaching, — now, 
alas!  so  general — manv  disciples  of  Jesus. 

To  the  thousands  of  families  throughout  the  country  who  are  isolated  from 
churches,  or  who  may  be  surrounded  by  heretical  teachers,  and  who  prefer 
to  spend  the  Lord's  day  at  home,  than  to  allow  tliemselves  or  children  to  receive 
spiritual  damage  through  corrupt  doctrine — this  work  will  be  doubly  welcome,  as  it 
will  supply  interesting,  moral  and  healthful  I'eading.  The  story  of  Mr.  Spur- 
geon's  life,  the  peculiarities  of  his  ministry,  the  history  of  his  Orphanage  and  College, 
besides  the  reports  given  of  the  various  features  of  his  labors,  cannot  fail  to  command 
interest. 

MERCHANTS  AND  BUSINESS  MEN 


Who  need  a  book  which  will  not  fail  to  beguile  the  tedious  hours  of  relaxation — 
a  book  which  must  not  be  dull  or  mischievous  in  its  tendencies,  will  find  chapters 
in  this  volume  from  his  pen  which  outrival  for  pure  wit  and  homely  wisdom  any 
work  extant.  Never  vulgar,  sensual  or  trifling,  the  humor  of  ]Mr.  Spurgeon  brings 
diversion  and  help  and  hope  with  it.  His  "  Talks  "  are  full  of  sound  advice,  keen 
satire,  kindly  suggestions,  and  friendly  warnings.  No  weary  man  can  spend  an  hour 
reading  these  pithy  sayings  without  feeling  rested  and  benefited. 

The  AUTHOR'S  British  training,  and  personal  acquaintance  with  Mr. 
Spurgeon  and  knowledge  of  his  labors,  peculiarly  fit  him  to  write  this  great  work. 
He  is  an  enthusiastic  admirer  of  the  great  London  preacher,  and  has  had  free 
access  to  the  private  and  public  papers  of  Mr.  Spurgeon,  and  has  produced  a  book 
which  will  furnish  pleasure  and  profit  and  have  the  fullest  approval  of  one's  con- 
science and  judgment — a  judgment  which  will    sharpen  the  intellect,  feast 

THE    SOUL,    AND    QUICKEN    THE    WHOLE    MAN. 

Ministers,  lay  preachers,  Bible  readers  and  all  students  will 
find  this  work  a  mine  of  valuable  information  and  suggestion.  No  book  has  ever 
been  published   containing  so  much  of  the  great  preacher  and  his  life  and 

LABORS. 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 

The  Illustrations  in  this  book,  over  forty  in  number,  have  been  produced  at 
o-reat  exoense,  made  expressly  for  this  work  by  an  artist  who  has  proved  to  be  one 
of  the  best  of  our  American  artists.  The  mechanical  part  of  the  book  is  beyond 
criticism,  being  done  by  the  Cambridge  University  Press — the  oldest  and  best  in 
America. 

DESCRIPTION  AND  PRICES. 

"  The  Life  and  Labors  of  C.  H.  Spurgeon"  is  published  in  one  large  square 
octavo  volume,  of  650  pages,  printed  from  clear  new  type,  on  fine,  tinted,  heavy 
crown  plate  paper,  made  expressly  for  this  book,  and  illustrated  with  a  fine,  lifelike 
portrait  of  Mr.  Spurgeon,  and  forty  engravings.  It  is  bound  in  the  most  elegant 
and  substantial  manner,  side  stamps  in  black  and  gold,  of  beajitiful  designs,  and  is 
furnished  to  subscribers  at  the  following  prices: 

$4.00.  .in  Oiive  Green  Cloth,  Plain  Edge,  Silk  Pattern,  Beveled  Board. 

$4.75 in  Olive  Green  Cloth.  Gilt  Edge,  Green  Pattern,  Beveled. 

$8.50 in  Half  Turkey,  Antique  Back  and  Marble  Edge,  Beveled. 


AGENTS  "WANTED. 

The  book  will  be  sold  exclusively  through  canvassing  agents.  In  no  case  will 
it  be  sold  in  bookstores.  Active,  energetic  agents  of  good  character  and  address, 
v.ho  will  canvass  closely,  will  be  given  specially  liberal  rates  and  absolute  control 
of  territory,  for  which  commission  will  be  sent  on  application  for  outfit.  Address 
for  terms 

FAIRBAHKS,  PALMER  ^  CO.  Publishers, 

i33  WABASH  AVENUE, 


^CONTENTS> 


Life  and  Lahnrs  nf  C.H.SpuraEnn 


CHAPTER         I. — Introductory. 

u  ■  II._AxcESTRY,  Parentage  and  Birth. 

«  III.-?-C0NVERSI0N   AND    PrEACHING. 

u  IV. — Call  to  London. 

u  V. — Abundant  in  Labors. 

«  VL — Revivals. 

«  VII. — ^Multiplying  Work. 

u  Vin. Results  of  Overwork. 

«  IX. Trials  and  Deliverances. 

u  X. Devising  Liberal  Things. 

«  XL The  Metropolitan   Tabernacle. 

«  XIL— The    Pastor's  College. 

a  XIII. The  President's  Report,  iSSi. 

«  XIV. — Inaugural  Address. 

u  XV.— Inaugural  Address  (continued). 

«  XVI. Stockwell  Orphanage. 

«  XVII. Annual  Report,  1881. 

w  XVIII. The  Girl's  Orphanage. 

«  XIX. vSuNSHlNE    IN    the    HeART. 

«  XX. The  Colportage  Association. 

«  XXL—"  The  Sword  and  the  Trowel." 

«  XXII. — Editorials  (45). 

«  XXIII.— Contributed  Articles  by  Mr.  Spurgeon. 

"  XXIV.— Reviews. 

«  XXV. — Letters. 

«  XXVL— Personal  Notes. 

"  XX VII.— John  Ploughman's  "Talks,"  and  ^'Pictures." 

«        XXVIII. The  Bible  and  the  Newspapers. 

u  XXIX. — Mrs.  Spurgeon's   Work. 

«  XXX. — Charles  Spurgeon. 

«  XXXL— Thomas  Spurgeon. 

«  XXXIL— Sermons.                                            fv 


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health  receive  special  attention  ;  the  value  of  a  knowledge  of  essential  principles  is 
shown;  the  benefit  of  exercise  is  pointed  out;  the  influence  of  pure  air,  wholesome 
H)od,  and  cleanliness  is  demonstrated,  while  the  departments  devoted  to  domestic 
medicine  are  exceedingly  useful  and  valuable,  especially  in  cases  of  sudden  illness  or 
accident.  The  proper  treatment  of  diseases  incident  to  childhood  is  one  of  the 
most  important  features  of  the  work,  and  directions  and  suggestions  are  given  to 
enable  parents  and  others  to  guard  against  the  invasion  of  disease  and  death  in  their 
homes. 


In  the  choice  of  a  home  there  is  information  pertaining  to  things  that  are  very 
often  overlooked,  and  evils  poifited  out  which  ought  specially  to  be  avoided.  Those 
who  contemplate  building  will  find  in  this  work  suggestions  as  to  the  best  way  of 
planning  a  house,  taking  into  account  the  situatian  and  circumstances  of  tbe  individ- 
ual; the  materials  to  be  employed  in  the  construction  of  houses  are  not  overlooked, 
nor  the  manner  in  which  the  necessary  work  should  be  done. 


The  surroundings  of  a  dwelling  exert  much  influence  upon  the 
pleasures  and  tastes  of  its  inmates,  and  The  Home  Guide,  recog- 
nizing this  important  fact,  gives  the  subject  proper  attention.  So, 
also,  the  furnishing  and  decoration  of  the  home  is  given  the  consid- 
eration it  deserves.  Under  appropriate  heads  will  be  found  infor- 
mation relating  to  furnishing  every  part  of  the  house,  according  to 
the  means  at  command,  in  the  most  economical,  durable,  and  pleas- 
ing manner,  as  to  material,  shape,  texture  and  color  The  portions  ^^^^S 
relating  to  ornamentation  include  some  of  the  simplest  methods  of  rendering  the 
home  attractive,  a  knowledge  of  which  enables  the  inmates,  however  humble,  to  find 
pleasure  and  gratification  for  their  ingenuity  and  taste. 

There  are  departments  also  relating  to  window  garden- 
ing and  the  care  of  house  plants,  as  well  as  to  other  branches 
of  rural  taste,  w^ich  contain  facts  and  suggestions  that  every 
one  may  read  with  profit.  The  subject  of  Home  Recrea- 
tion and  its  influence  upon  the  family  is  considered  from  a 
practical  stand-point,  and  the  utility  of  combining  instruc- 
tion with  amusement,  and  enjoyment  with  health. 

In  the  preparation  of  the  Home  Guide,  the  especial 
object  has  been  to  produce  a  work  such  as  is  required  by 
the  masses  ;  a  compendium  of  useful  knowledge  of  such  value  that  its  practical 
economic,  and  hygienic  features  shall  recommend  it  as  a  useful  book  in  every 
family;  an  Encyclopedia  of  Social  and  Domestic  Economy,  which  shall  be  a  ne- 
cessity in  every  home.  It  places  with- 
in the  reach  of  all,  at  small  expense, 
a  fund  of  information  which  other- 
wise must  be  obtained  by  long  and 
wearisome  experience,  or  gleaned  from 
an  expensive  library. 


This  is  a  brief  outline  only  of  the 
plan  and  purpose  of  The  Home 
Guide.  To  attempt  even  an  epitome 
of  its  contents  in  this  connection  is 
impracticable  within  appropriate  lim- 
its. The  work  is  comprehensive  in 
scope,  and  full  in  detail  —  a  Guide  in 
fact,  as  in  name,  for  every  department 
of  the  HOME. 


DESCRIPTION  AND  PRICES. 


*The  Home  Guide"  is  published  in  one  large  octavo  volume 
of  526  pages,  printed  from  clear,  new  type,  on  fine,  tinted,  heavy 
paper,  made  expressly  for  this  book,  and  illustrated  with  68  engrav- 
ings. It  is  bound  in  the  most  substantial  and  elegant  manner,  bev- 
eled board,  side  stamps  in  black  and  gold;  of  beautiful  designs,  and  ^ 
is  furnished  to  subscribers  at  the  following  prices: 

In  English  Cloth,  Back  and  Side  in  Black  and  Gold.  $2.00' 
"  .      "    Gilt  Edges,  "         "         "        2.50 
In  Arabesque  Morocco,  Library  Style,    -.  -   -   ■     2.75 


Agents  Wanted! 


The  book  will  be  sold  exclusively  through  canvassing  agents.  In 
no  case  will  it  be  sold  in  book  stores.  Active,  energetic  agents  of  good 
character  and  address,  who  will  canvass  closely,  will  be  given  specially 
liberal  rates  and  absolute  control  of  territory,  for  which  commission 
will  be  sent  on  application  for  outfit.     Address,  for  terms, 

FAIRBANKS,  PALMER  &  CO..  lublishers, 

133  WkfekA  Svenue,  Cliidk^o,  111. 


SONG  PILGRIMAGE 

Around  and  Throughout  the  World. 


By  PHILIP  PHILLIPS. 


INTRODUCTION  BY  Rev.  J.  H.  VINCENT,  D.  D 

Biographical  Sketch  by 
REV.    ALEXANDER    CLARK,  D.  D. 


One  Elegant  Illustrated  12  lllO  Yolume. 
Nearly  Forty  full  page  Engravings. 


Books  of  travel  have  increased  of  late  years  almost  in  the  direct  ratio  to 
the  increased  facilities  for  journeying,  and  it  may  be  said  that  the  quality  has 
also  proportionately  improved.  The  vv^ork  we  now  offer  the  public  covers  a 
field  and  subject  contained  in  no  other  volume  published.  Sontg  Pilgrimage 
embraces  a  life  of  song  experiences,  impressions,  anecdotes,  incidents,  persons, 
manners,  customs,  sketches  and  illustrations  throughout  twenty  different  coun- 
tries visited  by  the  singing  pilgrim,  Philip  Phillips,  in  his  "tour  of  the  world." 

In  September,  1874,  Mr.  Phillips  left  his  home  m  New  York,  with  his 
family,  for  the  purpose  of  fulfilling  an  engagement  to  sing  one  hundred  nights 
in  Australia,  and  with  a  view  of  proceeding  from  thence  round  the  world. 
He  was  able  to  carry  out  his  intentions,  and  without  an  accident  of  any  kind, 
traveled  over  forty  thousand  miles  and  held  nearly  six  hvndred  song  services, 
fulfilling  every  engagement  as  advertised.  This  tour  occupied  three  years' 
time.  The  interest  in  this  book  is  further  enhanced  by  a  fine  steel  plate 
portrait  of  Philip  Phillips  >^nd  a  large  number  of  others,  illustrative  of 
the  scenes  through  which  he  passed.     The  world  has  known  the  author  as  on« 


of  the  most  popular  solo  singers  of  sacred  songs  in  the  world.  In  this  inter- 
esting book  we  find  him  excelling  in  a  new  character,  as  a  careful  observer,  a 
thoughtful  and  patient  traveler,  and  a  diligent  student  ot  the  history,  associa- 
tions, social  customs,  governmental  methods  and  policies  of  the  countries 
through  which  he  passed,  told  in  a  style  both  fresh,  sparkling  and  critical* 
The  description^  are  graphic  and  pictorial.  The  subjects  will  be  found  of 
permanent  interest  to  all  who  have  a  taste  for  narratives  of  travel,  or  would 
like  to  follow  the  author  in  his  unprecedented  and  enthusiastic  tour.  We  feel 
confident  that  the  book  will  prove  a  valuable  acquisition  to  every  private  or 
public  library. 

The  Author  needs  no  introduction  from  us.  The  millions  of  hearts  that 
have  been  quickened  by  the  sacred  songs  from  the  lips  of  Philip  Phillips,  will 
give  all  hail  to  this  volume  of  the  sweetest  of  all  themes  of  earth  or  heaven, — 
the  song  service  of  the  Lord's  redeemed.  In  the  preface  to  the  book  the 
author  says: 

"  The  reader  will  find,  in  pursuing  this  record  of  an  itinerant  evangelist 
song,  a  strangely  guided  career.  That  the  simple  songs  of  salvation, 
through  the  blood  of  the  Lamb,  should  be  heralded  along  the  highways, 
through  the  populous  cities,  across  the  distant  seas, into  the  remote  islands,  along 
the  shores  of  heathen  continents,  throughout  the  centers  of  population  in  Hin- 
dostan,  Egypt,  the  desolations  of  the  Holy  Land,  and  on  the  continent  of 
Europe,  ever  and  everywhere  speaking  the  same  sweet  story 

♦Of  Jesus  and  His  Love,* 

with  crowds  attent  in  every  land,  tears  responding  from  the  faces  of  aliens  and 
barbarians,  strangers  and  foreigners,  with  humanity  at  large,  of  all  tongues  and 
kindreds  and  tribes,  at  once  glad  hearted  at  the  sound  of  gospel  salvation,  is, 
indeed,  a  wonder  of  sovereign  grace.  The  health  of  the  singer  was  marvel- 
ously  protected  all  the  long  journey ;  his  voice  never  failing,  his  spirits  never 
desponding,  his  hopes  never  flagging  and  his  faith  never  wavering  from  the 
hour  of  his  departure  from  home  until  the  hour  of  his  return.  In  this  vast 
schedule  of  engagements  all  were  fulfilled  as  advertised;  never  was  the  singer 
late,  never  disappointed  in  having  an  audience.  It  was  a  wonderful  manifes- 
tation, from  beginning  to  end,  of  the  goodness  and  mercy  of  God.  At  every 
step  and  in  every  nation  was  clearly  indicated  the  divine  favor  resting  upon  the 
effort  to  .reach  the  world's  remotest  ear  by  the  voice  of  singing  and  the  song  of 
redeeming  love." 

This  is  Mr.  Phillips'  first  and  only  book,  other  than  sacred  song  books — 
the  aggregate  of  the  latter  having  reached  the  unprecedented  sale  of  nearlj- 
Six  Million  Copies,  and  have  been  translated  into  nearly  every  language  on  the 
face  of  the  globe. 

Mr.  Phillips  stands  forth  as  the  pioneer  solo  singer  of  sacred  song;  others 
have  taken  to  his  style  of  singing,  and  their  names  have  become  household 
words  throughout  the  English  speaking  world.  The  words  of  no  other  com- 
poser and  singer  of  sacred,  song  were  ever  before  carried  by  so  many  types, 
or  carried  so  far.  No  other  singer  addresses  so  many  constantly.  He  has  the 
Civilized  World  for  a  congregation 


The  Illustrations  in  this  book  are  a  decided  feature^  and  include  inside 
views  of  some  of  the  most  prominent  halls  and  churches  in  foreign  countries, 
notably  the  native  churches  of  India,  etc.  They  are  full  page  wood-cuts, 
splendid  designs,  elegantly  engraved,  and  printed  on  super-calendered,  tinted 
paper,  designed  and  drawn  by  our  best  artists,  and  all  illustrative  of  the 
subjects. 

DESCRIPTION  AND  PRICES. 

"Song  Pilgrimage"  is  published  in  one  large  octavo  volume,  of  nearly 
500  pages,  printed  from  clear,  new  type,  on  fine,  tinted,  heavy  paper,  made 
expressly  for  this  book,  and  illustrated  with  a  fine,  life-like  portrait  of  Philip 
Phillips,  and  thirty-two  full-page  illustrations.  It  is  bound  in  the  most  sub- 
stantial and  elegant  manner,  side  stamps,  in  black  and  gold,  of  beautiful 
designs,  and  is  furnished  to  subscribers  at  the  following  prices: 

In  English  Cloth,  Back  and  Side  in  Black  and  Gold,   $2,00 
In  English  Cloth,  GUt  Edges,     **  **        **         <<  2.50 

In  Turkey  Morocco,  Gilt  Edges,  Presentation  Edition,    3.50 

The  Publishers  guarantee  the  book  to  correspond  in  every  respect  with 
the  Prospectus,  and  unless  it  does,  those  who  order  the  work  will  be  under  no 
obligations  to  take  it. 

Mailed  post  paid  on  receipt  of  price, 

FAIRBANKS,  PALMER  &  CO, 

133  WABASH  AVENUE, 

CHICAGO,  ILL. 


It  Is  a  man's  duty  to  have  books.    A  library  is  not  a 

luxury,  but  one  of  the  necessities  of 

life.— II.  W.  Beecher. 


ASQUE  TORN  OFF 

By  T.  DeWitt  Talmage,  D.  D., 

Author  of -Crumbs  Swept  Up,"  "Around  the  Tea  Table," 
"Abominations  of  Modern  Society/'  "  Sports  that  Kill."  etc,  etc 


ONE  LARGE  OCTAVO  VOLUME, 

OF  NEARLY   FIYE   HUNDRED   PAGES,    ELEGANTLY   ILLUS- 
TRATED WITH  ABOUT  FIFTEEN  FULL  PAG.F. 
ENG^RAYiNGS. 


THE  MASQUE  TORN  OFF  contains  the  disconrses— as  lately  deliv- 
ered in  the  Brooklyn  Tabernacle — giving  Dr.  Tahnage's  experience  and 
observations,  as  lately  seen  by  him — in  company  with  two  elders  of  his 
church  and  three  high  police  officials — during  their  midnight  exjiiorations 
in  the  haunts  of  vice  of  New  York  City.  They  have  been  revised  hy  hijn 
for  this  work,  and  are  written  in  his  strongest  descriptive  powers — spark 
ling  with  graceful  images  and  illustrative  anecdotes,  terrible  in  their  ear- 
nestness— uncompromising  in  his  denunciation  of  sin  and  wickedness 
wherever  found,  sparing  neither  friend  nor  foe,  rir.h  nor  poor.  Every  page 
of  intense  interest.  No  one  can  read  this  work  without  taking  new  inter 
est  in  the  subjects  treated  } 


CONTEXTS, — The  work  contains  nearly  fobty  ohaptbbs — on  a* 
many  sabjects — and  are  Dr.  Talmage's  best  efforts  in  his  earnest,  aggres- 
sive warfare  upon  the  foes  of  society,  and  the  exposure  of  the  traps  and 
pitfalls  that  beset  tlie  youth  of  our  land  in  every  city.  He  sounds  a  note 
of  warning^  and  points  out  the  onlt  way  to  escape  these  pits  of  darkness 
and  social  and  moral  ruin. 

THE  AUTHOR.— Rkv.  T.  DiWin  Talmaok  was  born  on  the  7th 
of  January,  1832,  in  the  village  of  Bound  Brook,  New  Jersey  The  story 
of  his  life  is  very  simple.  A  Christian  in  his  teens,  a  graduate  of  New 
York  University  (1853);  a  graduate  of  New  Brunswick  Seminary;  three 
years  a  pastor  at  Belleville,  N.  J. ;  three  more  at  Syracuse,  N.  Y. ;  seven 
more  at  Philadelphia,  and  now  about  ten  years  in  Brooklyn, — this  is  the 
simple  outline  of  his  life.  Age  has  not  told  on  him,  though  he  is  not  a 
handsome  man.  He  is  not  characteristically  a  graceful  man.  He  is  long- 
limbed  and  loosely  put  together.  But  he  is  a  man  of  wonderful  magnetism 
— whatever  that  may  be.  He  draws,  not  merely  as  an  orator,  but  as  a 
maL..  He  is  a  man  of  intense  vitality,  and  intense  convictions.  This 
vitality  is  so  superabundant  that  he  easily  supplies  others  with  life.  His 
imagination  is  sensuous  and  vivid.  He  sees  the  external  reality  of  things, 
and  paints  them  with  wonderful  pictorial  power.  That  he  is  a  man  of  un- 
wonted devotion  and  earnestness,  this  single  illustration  must  suffice: 

Mr.  Talmage  was  pastor  of  a  wealthy  and  prosperous  church  in  Phila- 
delphia. He  was  called  simultaneously  to  three  churches,  one  in  San 
Francisco,  one  in  Chicago,  one  in  Brooklyn.  That  in  Brooklyn  was  poor; 
it  was  on  the  eve  of  dissolution;  it  possessed  but  nineteen  male  members; 
its  need  was  greatest,  its  power  was  least.  Need  drew  more  strongly  than 
strength,  and  to  Brooklyn  Mr.  Talmage  went.  For  fifteen  montlis  he 
preached  to  crowded  houses.  Then  the  time  came  to  build  anew.  Mr. 
Talmage  believed  in  free  pews.  He  emphasized  his  belief  by  his  action; 
he  relinquished  his  salary,  released  his  trustees  from  all  pecuniary  obli<,t^ 
tions,  trusted  himself  to  a  free  gospel  for  his  support,  and  has  lived  by  it 
ever  since, 

Mr.  Talmage  has  written  several  popular  books,  and  his  sermons  have 
beeL  f»uhiier)e<.-l  in  book  form  in  ail  j)art8  of  the  English  speaking  world, 
and  have  reached  a  sale  of  great  magnitude — 75.000  cx>Diesof  his  ''Crumbs 


Swept  ,Up"  being  sold  in  this  country  alone.  Twenty-three  papers  in 
Christendom  statedly  publish  his  entire  sermons  and  Friday-night  dis- 
courses, exclusive  of  the  dailies  of  the  United  States:  that  the  papere 
girdle  the  globe,  being  published  in  London,  Liverpool,  Manchester,  Glas- 
gow, Belfast,  Toronto,  Montreal,  St  John's,  Sidney,  Melbourne,  San  Fran- 
cisco, Chicago,  Boston,  Raleigh,  Newr  York  and  many  others. 

The  multiplicity,  large  results  and  striking  progress  of  the  labors  of 
Dr.  Talmage  have  made  the  foregoing  more  of  a  brief  narrative  of  the 
epochs  of  his  career  than  an  account  of  tlie  career  itself.  Lack  of  space  in 
a  circular  requires  it.  This  remains  to  be  said:  No  other  preacher  addresses 
so  many  constantly.  The  words  of  no  other  proacher  were  ever  before 
carried  by  so  many  types  or  carried  so  far.  Types  give  him  threfe  conti- 
nents for  a  church,  and  the  English-speaking  world  for  a  congregation.  The 
judgment  of  his  generation  will  of  course  t-e  divided  upon  him  just  as  that 
of  the  next  will  not.  That  he  is  a  topic  in  every  newspaper  is  much  more 
significant  than  the  fact  of  what  treatment  it  gives  him.  Only  men  of 
genius  are  universally  commented  upon. 

IliLlJSTRATIONS.— The  illustrations  in  this  book  are  a  decided 
feature,  and  are  full  page,  splendid  designs,  elegantly  engraved,  and  printed 
on  super-calendered,  tinted  paper,  and  designed  by  Frank  Beard,  and  other 
artists,  illustrative  of  its  subjects. 

DESCRIPTION  AND  PRICES 

"The  Masque  Torn  Off"  is  published  in  one  large  octavo  volume,  oJ 
nearly  500  pages,  printed  from  clear,  new  type,  on  fine,  tinted,  heavy  paper, 
made  expressly  for  this  book,  and  illustrated  with  a  fine,  life-like  portrait  of 
Dr.  Talmage,  and  fourteen  full-page  illustrations.  It  is  bound  in  the  most 
substantial  and  elegant  manner,  side  stamps,  in  black,  red  and  gold,  of 
beautiful  designs,  and  is  furnished  to  subscribers  at  the  following  prices : 

la  EiM  Clfllli,  m  It  m  \i  Blacl  M  aM  m,  ■  ■  $2.1 

mu&i' "  "  "   :  -  2.50 


Mailed  post   paid  on   receipt  of  price.      Address  the  publishers 
of  this  book. 


A  BOOK  FOR  EYERY  HOME. 


BRIGHT  AND  HAPPrHOMES. 

A  HOUSEHOLD  GUIDE  AND  COMPANION. 

Containing  the  choicest  treaanrea  of  Wisdom,  Instruction,  Amusement  and  Devotion, 
original  and  selected,  embracing  Marriage,  The  Home,  Husband  and  Wife,  Father  and 
Mother,  The  Children,  The  Government  of  the  Home,  The  Etiquette  of  the  Home,  The 
jBsthetics  of  the  Home,  Education  in  the  Home,  The  Home  and  the  School,  The  Home  and 
the  College,  Amusements  in  the  Home,  Technical  Instructions  in  the  Home,  Keligion  in  the 
Home,  Sickness  In  the  Home,  Death  in  the  Home,  Home  and  Heaven.  Also,  a  Manual  of 
Amusing  and  Interesting  Experiments  in  Chemistry  and  Natural  Philosophy,  Fascinating 
Arithmetical  Questions  and  Puzzles,  Entertaining  Games,  and  Sleight-of-Hand  Performan- 
ce for  the  Play-Room  and  the  Parlor,  Instruction  for  Yoimg  People  in  the  Use  of  Wood- 
working Tools,  with  Specific  Directions  for  making  articles  of  Beauty  and  Utility. 

By  PETER  PARLEY,   Jr. 

WITH  AN  INTEODUCTION  BY 

THE  RT.  REV.  SAMUEL  FALLO\YS,  D.D. 

One  Elegantly  Illustrated  Quarto  Volume.— One  Thousand  Engravings. 

The  author  of  this  volume  Has  gleaned  from  many  inviting  fields  a  large  portion  of  the 
material  for  a  work  which,  in  many  particulars,  has  never  been  attempted  before.  The 
topics  under  which  the  accumulated  riches  of  thought  and  expression  have  been  arranged, 
are  fruitful  in  suggestiveness.    They  have  been  sufficiently  amplified  to  make  the  work  a 

TwtSAUBUS  op  HODSKHOU)  WiSDOM. 

Bishop  Fallows  well  says:  "  No  human  names  thrill  and  stir  ns  like  the  lyric  names  of 
Child,  Mother,  and  Hokb.  None  contain  such  a  wealth  of  afEectlon,  or  such  elements  of 
tender  remembrance.  None  bind  na  so  closely  to  the  law  of  duty,  and  to  the  law  of  love 
None  bring  Heaven  so  near,  and  maJu  it  so  real.  No  work,  therefore,  can  be  more  impor- 
tant than  an  earnest  and  well-directed  effort  to  make  the  homes  of  oar  coontry  bbiobt  ano 

■ATFT." 

DESCRIPTION  AND  PRICES. 

"Bbioht  akd  Hjlppt  Horns"  is  published  in  one  large  royal  qnarto  Tolume,  printed 
from  clear,  new  type,  on  fine,  tinted,  heavy,  extra  super-calendered  paper,  made  expressly 
for  this  book,  finely  illustrated  and  bound  in  the  most  substantial  and  elegant  manner,  aide 
stamps  in  black  and  gold,  of  beautiful  designs,  and  furnished  to  subscribers  at  the  follow- 
ing pricea: 

lu  English  Silk  Cloth  Back  and  Side,  In   Black  and  Oold, 

Sprinkled  Edsea $4  50 

IB  English  Cloth  Back  and  Side,  in  Black  and  Gold,  Gilt  Edees,  5  25 
In  Fnll  RuKsta,  Presentation  Edition,  Gilt  Edges 7  60 

Mailed  poat  paid  on  raeeipt  of  prie«. 

FAIRBANKS,  PALBfER  &  CO., 

133  Wabash  Ave., 


I.  ,1111' 


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